Melting Into You
by kaoscraze
Summary: Carol and Daryl have always had a complicated relationship, but it just went to a whole new level. When a freak snowstorm blows through, the duo is forced to take shelter quickly, but lucky for them, there's a crackling fire and a bottle of wine to help them pass the time. Things are about to get very interesting. (Story idea by adelicateflower08 and cover image by Oohhshiny)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello you beautiful wonderful lovely people!**

**I am in a VERY good mood today. Why? Because this story is practically writing itself and it's brilliant. I can't even honestly take credit for this thing anymore. I swear an unearthly creature is controlling my hands right now to type this thing and I am merely its pawn. Considering I had intense writers block not a week ago and was convinced I was never going to write anything worth reading every again, I am thrilled and shocked beyond measure, so I'm just gonna go with it!**

**The idea was something I noticed posted on Tumblr (aka the time sucking vortex I spend my life curled up in) by adelicateflower08 who suggested the idea of our duo curled up together in a cabin beside a fire while lying on a bearskin rug doing all sorts of dastardly deeds. Considering the ridiculous drop in temperature this past week throughout most of the US, I was holed up inside for nearly three days (as I'm sure many of you were) and started contemplating just what this whole scenario would look like and how one would go about describing it in words. The next thing I knew, it had practically written itself, and I was happily running outside into the negative wind chills to cool myself off;-)****  
**

**So some of you had a very short glimpse of this already, and I think it peaked some interests (no pun intended…no I totally lied, pun intended) so I can't wait to see what the rest of you think of it. Also, a HUGE shout out to my girl Oohhshiny for letting me use her beautiful artwork as the image for my story. From the minute I saw it I seriously thought she had crawled up into my brain and picked this moment out from the story because it was perfect. Make sure to check out her other amazing art if you can too...okay that's all for now!**** LLACO!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with The Walking Dead, and I'm still convinced this thing wrote itself.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Melting Into You

Carol couldn't believe it. She had once thought that witnessing the catastrophic events that wiped out nearly every person on the planet would have been the worst thing she would ever experience in her life, but apparently Mother Nature had an even sicker sense of humor. It was the only thing that could explain what was currently happening to her. Granted, it was January and the weather should have been less than tolerable, but she could count on one hand the amount of times that she'd ever seen a snow storm this bad in the state of Georgia. It had come out of nowhere and had probably already dropped at least a three inches snow in the matter of thirty minutes. If the apocalypse truly hadn't come yet, she really didn't want to stick around to see what else was in store.

It wouldn't have been as big a deal if it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't sitting comfortably in her cell at the prison watching it fall out the window. Instead, she was on the back of a motorcycle driving directly into the worst storm she'd ever seen. It wouldn't have been quite as bad if was sitting in one of the trucks instead…at least she wouldn't have been so wet and miserable. The only reason she was still holding it together at all was because she was with the only other person from the group that she knew would be able to handle something this monumental, and he hadn't started to panic yet…but if he did, they were both screwed.

"Daryl, this is insane!" She yelled into his ear as she clung to his waist with frozen fingers. "We need to stop and find shelter until it passes! We're going to wipe out and get ourselves killed!"

"I know!" He yelled back, snow whipping in his face. "I'm lookin' for a place! Keep your eyes peeled!"

That morning when he had asked her to go out for a quick run with him to look for some more baby supplies for Judith, neither one of them had expected anything this bad. It had been a bit on the chilly side, but Daryl still thought that they could get there and back quicker on the bike. The trip had taken them over the county line, but they were still probably a good hour away from the prison. They'd take off the minute he'd seen the snow coming, but the further they drove the worse it got. The roads were too warm to freeze up at first, but now it was getting dicey. He was going a lot slower than he normally would, trying to make sure that if they did slip and go down, it would instantly kill them both. She was trying to be his lookout, but the snow was pelting her in the face so much that it was hard to see much of anything. They continued up the back road, trying to be cautious of any major dips or turns that might be coming. Carol was still trying to look out onto the horizon when she felt the bike stutter below her.

"Shit!" Daryl laid off the gas and immediately began to brake. "Come on baby, don't do this!"

"What's wrong?"

"It's freezin' up!" He said, trying to control the steering. "It's not use to this kinda weather! Snow prolly got in the tailpipe or somethin'!"

"What does that mean?!"

The bike came to a rolling stop just a few yards up the road and sputtered before going dead. He hit the kickstand and twisted around so that he was looking back at her. "It means we walk from here."

"Shit."

"Yeah…shit." He got up off the bike, turning to help her get off as well. "You see anything while we were drivin'?"

Carol brushed the snow off the bottom half of her legs. "It was hard to see anything at all, but I think there was a house up in the woods about half a mile back."

"We'll give it a shot." He said, grabbing his crossbow and gesturing for her to follow. "Let's go."

They trudged their way up the road, both wet and nearly frozen through. It felt like it was taking forever just to go ahead a few steps with the way the wind was blowing around. The snow on the sides of the road was already starting to pile up pretty good, making walking even more difficult. Carol was thankful she had worn her extra thick socks and her Doc Marten boots because her feet were about the only thing on her that weren't wet at the moment. She had, however, wished she'd worn a hat. The ice was dripping down her neck and making her even colder. She shivered violently, trying to shake the snow back off again. Daryl turned back, noticing how pathetic she looked.

"We're almost there." He pointed up the hill. "I see it now."

They finally made it to the sloping driveway just below where the house was perched. Because of the angle, it was extremely treacherous and Daryl was doing his best to find his footing before making any sudden moves. He told her to walk in his footsteps so that she didn't slip, but there were still a few hairy moments where he almost had to catch her from falling back down the hill. By the time they got up to the doorway, Carol was immensely relieved. The house looked fairly old but still in decent shape. None of the windows were broken, and most of the outside looked fairly untouched. She could see a chimney sticking up from the side and a pile of wood stacked up just on the side of the house.

"There's a fireplace." She breathed. "Thank god."

It took Daryl a minute or two to get the door open because it had been nailed shut from the outside. He pulled the planks out easy enough, but the door hadn't been opened in so long that it was now frozen shut. After some gentle prodding, followed by a few large kicks on Daryl's end, they made it inside. The house was pretty dark, but they both had flashlights and Daryl had his crossbow aimed and ready to take down anything that might've come at them. Everything was covered in thick dust, signaling that no one had been there for some time. The floors were wooden and creaked loudly as they walked along the floor into the hallway, trying to keep an eye on the corners and doorways in case something unexpected might surface. They circled the entire first floor, surprised to find no stragglers.

"Looks pretty good down here." Daryl said, pointing his flashlight back at her. "I'm gonna go check upstairs. Go and see if there's any wood in the fireplace and bring maybe bring some in from outside. If it's soaked through we're gonna need ta let em dry out." He threw her his trusty lighter. "If ya can get it goin', use this."

"Okay." She turned to walk away but turned back. "Just be careful. If you run into trouble, you call me."

"I'll be fine."

"I mean it Daryl."

He rolled his eyes at her before heading for the staircase. "Yes _mom_."

Carol sighed and headed for the door. Under normal circumstances she would've smacked him for being stubborn, but she was pretty sure that if she attempted to hit anything right now, one of her fingers might just break off in the process.

Going back out into the cold to grab firewood was even more annoying than Daryl's comment, but she tried to do it as quickly as she could, grabbing as many logs as possible before her hands started screaming from the cold, then ran back in slamming the door behind her. Daryl hadn't made any noise from upstairs that she could hear, so she made her way into the large living room and went directly over to the fireplace to see what kind of situation they had. By some divine miracle, there were already two partially used logs on the hearth. It would at least get things going until they could dry out some of the other pieces better.

Carol quickly cleared off the ashes from the previous fire and checked the damper, then began looking around for something she could use as kindling. The twigs and leaves from outside would never work but if she could find some newspaper that would be idea. Looking around, she managed to find an old yellow pages book and started ripping out the pages, crumpling them up and placing them on the grate. Pulling the lighter back out, she lit the papers, waiting until they started to catch onto the logs before opening the damper again. She was just standing up again to go look for Daryl when he came walking into the room. He had a bundle of blankets and towels in his hands.

"How'd it go?"

"Not too bad." He said, putting them down on a chair and setting his crossbow on the table next to it. "Only found one holed up in a bedroom. Old lady…looked like she'd been there for a while. Prolly died in there and turned."

Carol frowned. "Poor thing. Probably didn't have anyone else."

"She's one of the lucky ones if ya ask me." He kicked off his boots and handed her a towel. "We gotta get outta these clothes and get warm. You get to check out the food situation?"

"No, I just got the fire started. You want me to go look?"

He rubbed the towel across his head, making his hair go in every direction. "I'll do it. Just stay here and get warm."

Carol obeyed, running the towel over her own wet head. Luckily her hair wouldn't take long to get dry, but she could already feel it starting to curl up at the end, which drove her crazy. She chuckled, remembering the days when she'd had long curly hair down to her shoulders. It had always been such a pain to try and tame, so one day she'd just come home and cut it all off. Ed had been furious, but it'd had it incentives too. He couldn't grab her by the hair anymore when he got angry, and he was careful not to hit her in the face because it would be too noticeable without anything to hide it behind. After consideration, a bit of curling around the nape seemed like a small price to pay. Hell, maybe she'd even let it grow out again now that she didn't have to worry about anybody hitting her. None of the people at the prison had ever seen her with long hair before. It would be a shock to them for sure.

"Not much luck on the food front." Daryl's voice cut through her thoughts as he came walking back into the room, holding up a bottle. "But I did find something just as good if not better."

Carol gasped in surprise. "Wine? Where did you find that?"

"Top shelf in the kitchen. It was hidden behind some other things." He gently tossed it from one hand to the other. "Guess they forgot it was there and no one else found it."

"What kind is it?"

He squinted, trying to read the fancy writing on the dusty label. "I can't even pronounce it."

She grabbed the bottle out of his hands. "Oh wow…it's Akhasheni. That's very good wine."

"Never heard of it."

"It's grown locally in the state." She said, remembering her visit to a vineyard years before with Ed on one of the only romantic getaways they ever took. "Georgia is one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world. They say that it actually dates back to Neolithic times."

"Swell." Daryl grabbed it back, ripping the foil from the top. "Now how do we get the bastard open?"

"You didn't check for a corkscrew?"

"Didn't get that far." He admitted. "Just saw the bottle and came back."

Carol rolled her eyes. "You stay here this time and I'll go look for one."

He walked over to the fireplace while she went in the other direction and headed for the kitchen. Truthfully, it was probably the only room in the house that looked like it might have been trashed. The back door hadn't been nailed shut like the front had, so it was partially bent in from where someone had tried to knock it down. The cabinets had definitely been raided, and most of the dishes and silverware were gone or smashed as well. Carol walked around carefully, making sure she didn't step on anything that could pierce the soles of her boots. After a few minutes of searching the drawers, she found exactly what she had been looking for. She made her way back to the living room, but was more than surprised by what she saw when she got there.

"I found one but I- OH!" Her eyes widened at the site in front of her. "Sorry…should I leave?"

"What?" Daryl, who was standing in front of her clad only in a worn wife beater and low-riding ripped up jeans, seemed confused by her statement. "Just airing it out the wet stuff in front of the fire so it gets dry quicker. You should do the same."

Trying her best to keep a calm appearance, she walked over and handed him the corkscrew. "We're gonna have to drink out of the bottle. Hope that's okay."

"Works for me." He pulled the cork out and took a long swig before handing it back to her. "Here. It'll help warm you up quicker."

Carol took a long swig as well, marveling at the fact that she was probably drinking the last bottle of this particular wine left on the planet. It had a slight tartness but it was smooth and flowed down the back of her throat like velvet. She could taste a hint of a chocolate tone as well. It was wonderful.

"All right woman, start strippin'."

Her throat immediately constricted, causing her to choke loudly on the last gulp of the liquid. "E-excuse me?"

"Clothes…get the wet ones off before you catch a cold."

Carol had to remind herself that he wasn't trying to be sexual and that it was merely concern for her health, but hearing those words come out of his mouth directed at her were affecting her body more than she would've liked to admit. She handed him back the bottle and began to remove the outer layers she was wearing, amazed at how much of it had been soaked through by the snow despite being protected by his back for most of the ride. After removing her jacket and scarf, she also removed her sweater and a lightweight knit shirt underneath it, leaving her in just a double layer camisole and her bra. As soon as the cold air hit her skin, she immediately regretted it, but it was either that or be wet and cold. She also kept on her socks and her cargo pants, which she refused to take off in front of him despite being frozen at the bottom from walking through the snow. Daryl reached over and grabbed a blanket off the chair, handing it to her to wrap around herself so she didn't get more chilled.

"Grabbed the cushions off the sofa and put 'em in front of the fireplace to sit on." Daryl announced, grabbing his own blanket. "Figured we'd get warmer down lower to the ground. That okay?"

"It's fine." She walked over and plopped herself down on one of the larger cushions, seeing he'd also brought over some smaller ones as well. "I just want to be able to feel my fingers and toes again."

Daryl sat down on the cushion next to her, reaching out his hand to hers. "I can help with that if ya want. Just gotta scoot over a little."

Carol had no idea what he had in mind, but she wasn't going to argue if it would help her get warmer. She inched over closer to him until the sides of their legs were touching and he turned her shoulders towards him, grabbing her hands in his. Carol felt her heart flutter slightly at the idea of being this close to him. She and Daryl had touched plenty, there was no denying that. In fact, he was usually the first to instigate it, but somehow this felt entirely different. It might have been strictly survival in his mind, but she was having a hard time trying to convince her brain that this was all it really was.

It got even harder when he took her hands and sandwiched them between his own, bringing them up to his mouth. Her eyes widened as she felt his warm breath blowing gently against her raw skin, trying to return their normal sensation. He did this a few times before pulling them back again and rubbing them vigorously between his own, trying to stimulate circulation. He even went so far as to do each individual finger and knuckle almost like he was giving her a mini hand massage. He brought them back up to his mouth once more, blowing more heated air on them before placing them back in her lap.

"There, can you feel 'em again?"

"Yes…thank you." She was feeling a lot more than her fingers now. "You didn't have to get so elaborate just for me, but it was nice."

He looked over at her again, giving her one of his rare but precious side grins. "Can't be gettin' blamed for lettin' your fingers fall off now can I?"

"No, that wouldn't be good at all." She laughed, turning her face back to the now growing fire. It looked like he had added some more wood while she had been gone as well. "Oh, is that from outside?"

"Yeah. The one wasn't too bad so I threw it on top. Should be all right for now but the rest need to air out." He let the blanket fall around him as he got up, going over to where his boots and crossbow sat on the other side of the room. "I'm gonna go check and see if there's anything else we can use from down in the cellar. Maybe there's some food down there."

Carol turned around to look at him. "You can't possibly be warm yet. Why don't you just stay here for a few minutes before you start tromping all over the place and get pneumonia."

He blew a razz at her, once again not thinking about common sense or his own health. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

"They're already in a bunch." She snipped, feeling feisty. "They're frozen to my backside right now. You wanna help me with that too?"

It was hard to miss the look of surprise that crossed his face, but Carol basked in its glow. She waited, hoping he might have a witty comment to throw back at her but he simply grabbed his crossbow and flashlight, looked back once quickly and walked out of the room.

Dammit...he was harder to crack than she'd ever anticipated.

**A/N: Considering the people reading this story probably aren't experts on the subject of motorcycles and lighting fires (although there may be some winos out there I'll admit) I hope no one finds any major gaping holes in my theories on these subjects. I honestly have no idea if motorcycles can freeze up like that, but for the sake of needing to make the characters stop and find shelter, I say they can. I looked up how to light a fire because I've honestly never done it, and as for the wine stuff, that's all supposedly true based off of what I read about vineyards in Georgia and their origins. If you don't believe me, google it;-)**

**The next chapter will be from Daryl's POV…I know you're all wondering just exactly what our boy is thinking of this whole situation, so you're gonna get it. Man, I love delving into that man's mind…yes that sounded naughty, and no I'm not taking it back (hehe)**

**Okay…off to the writing cave! *whooshes away***


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: *has total valley girl moment* like omagaaaaawwwd you guuuuuuuyyss!**

**I am completely blown away by the response to this story…like couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the numbers. I seriously thought it was a typo because it more than doubled my views for any chapter of anything I've ever written. ****212 people**** looked at this thing in one day…ONE DAY PEOPLE! I am soooo happy you guys are loving it and responding to it so well! Don't forget to review too—I know I probably sound like I'm beating a dead horse by now but I truly love hearing what you think and I almost always write back so do NOT be shy! These are the things that keep me motivated above all else these days **

**So as requested, here is chapter 2 from Daryl's POV…sorry it took me longer to post than originally planned, but I'm trying to give myself some leeway to get everything worked out for the future so I don't get myself stuck in the same rut I did with Safe. Right now I'm planning to kind of do the same flip/flop scenario that I've done with my other stories where one chapter will be from Carol's POV, then Daryl's. This way you get the best of both worlds (at least in my opinion) and a nice build up to the epic moment, which is coming eventually I promise…but I might have to tease you a little bit first because I'm a sadist;-) Anyway for now, here you go…take time to enjoy it and enhance your pleasure *evil laugh***

**Disclaimer: I'm not really a sadist. Also I don't own anything.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Daryl was fucked.

It was bad enough when he'd had to stop to find shelter on the side of an abandoned road during a snow storm with Carol, but now he was thinking all sorts of things he really shouldn't have been thinking. It wasn't like he had tried to plan this, but he also should've paid more attention to the ache in his shoulder this morning, telling him that a cold snap was on its way. Daryl could always tell when there was going to be a change in weather, compliments of the jacked up shoulder his pops had given him after multiple drunken rampages and trying to yank him across the floor a few times. It had definitely been singing today, but if he'd suspected anything like this, he would've put the whole thing off. Truth be told, he hadn't seen snow like this since his trip to the Colorado Rockies with Merle a few years back. He'd never seen it this bad in Georgia for as long as he'd been alive. They'd driven through it as long as they could, but when the bike froze up, he knew it was time to find another option. It was one thing to risk his own life for something, but he sure as hell wasn't about to risk Carol's too.

They'd gotten lucky and found a place just up the road to squat in until the weather let up, but with close quarters also came uncomfortable moments. Carol had always been flirtatious with him, and even more so since they'd settled into the prison and became co-council members. Hell, he even flirted back sometimes, but never like this. Not when they were the only people around for miles together in a situation that required them to take their clothes off and huddle together for warmth. This was a whole other ballpark as far as he was concerned, and it was starting to scare the shit out of him.

He'd already made an ass out of himself in just a matter of minutes. It hadn't even crossed his mind to be concerned about how it might look to Carol when he started removing his wet outer layers of clothes in an attempt to dry them, but he quickly figured it out when he saw her face as she walked in the room. She probably thought that he was trying to seduce her or something. It only got worse once he opened his mouth, insisting that she also disrobe. He honestly hadn't meant anything by it, but even he was surprised by the reaction his body was having watching her shed off the wet fabric. By the time she got down to her semi-translucent tank top and bra, Daryl was feeling extremely uncomfortable. It was obvious how cold she was…_very_ obvious in fact. His jeans suddenly felt too tight for their own good and he forced himself to look away, grabbing the blankets to cover them both up with. Thank god for finding that bottle of wine. At least now if he screwed up royally again, he could blame it on the hooch.

_Doesn't help the fact that you're still thinking about her like a fucking perv._

If anything, the wine was making things more complicated. He'd only taken a few swigs but he could already feel it warming his throat and chest and spreading to other areas as well. He sort of felt lightheaded too, but that could've been from lack of food…he hadn't really eaten anything all day. Carol probably hadn't either, which could only lead to more issues down the road. After he'd offered to warm her hands for her—another uncomfortable moment he hadn't anticipated in time—he decided it was time to start looking around for some other possibilities in the way of nourishment. Plus, it gave him an excuse to leave so he could mentally scold himself for being such a complete dumbass. He'd almost made it out of the room when he heard her call back. Once again, she was more concerned for him than for herself.

"You can't possibly be warm yet. Why don't you just stay here for a few minutes before you start tromping all over the place and get pneumonia."

He immediately threw it off, but stupidly opened his mouth to retort. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

"They're already in a bunch." She said in her most teasing voice. "They're frozen to my backside right now. You wanna help me with that too?"

His eyes flew up to her face, once again blindsided by her response. She had to be joking right? Knowing his words would only betray him; he grabbed his flashlight and crossbow, looked back at her quickly, and immediately left before he could get himself in any deeper.

_Goddamn…she's gonna kill me…slow and painful too._

It wasn't the first time he'd had these thoughts about her, but it was a hell of a lot easier to ignore them with a few dozen people around him at all times. Keeping busy had always worked for him when it came to trying to ignore feelings he wasn't ready to deal with. Only problem now was trying to find things to keep busy with until they could get the hell out of here. He could only go looking for things so many times before she'd catch on to what he was doing.

Daryl looked out the back window of the kitchen, hoping that it might have started to lighten up a bit, but to his surprise it was worse than it had been even a few minutes before. They definitely weren't getting out of here tonight, and even when they did, he had to fix the bike before they could get anywhere. It was like god was playing some huge cosmic joke on him. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with the one person he wished he could stop thinking about. It was like the best dream ever and a nightmare all rolled up into one.

_Quit thinking and just go find some food already._

Given the current weather situation, hunting was off the table completely. He looked around the room, knowing it'd already been picked clean and he wasn't likely to find anything else useful sitting around, but then he noticed a door to the left that looked like it probably led to the cellar. With his crossbow in one hand, he quickly yanked it open with the other, surprised when he didn't meet any kind of resistance. It was the cellar all right, but it was down a pair of rickety old steps that didn't exactly give him warm fuzzy feelings.

Taking each step carefully, he started down into the dark abyss with his flashlight pointed down to see where he was going. By the time he got to the third step, he could see that the board was splintered horribly right down the middle. There was a good chance that if he stepped on it, he'd go clear through and end up getting his leg caught below. Instead he turned sideways and lowered himself down to the step below, carefully holding the hand rail in case it also wanted to give out on him. The railing itself looked like it was on its last legs so he was extremely relieved when neither of the items gave him any problems. He got down the rest of the way easy enough, but quickly realized that it was all for nothing when he shined his flashlight around and saw that he had nowhere left to go. The entire floor was packed end to end with furniture and boxes, making maneuvering around it nearly impossible.

_What the hell was this lady thinking? _

The more he looked around, the more he realized that the tiny cellar probably held everything of value this person ever owned. Probably one of those hoarder types. Had she really thought that putting it down here would somehow help keep everyone away from it?

_I can just picture it. Don't worry about the dead people…just save the knick-knacks._

Hooking the crossbow over his arm, he pushed some of the items back to try and make a little more space to stand in. It was possible that the boxes might have something of value packed away in them, but it would take him a lifetime to sort the crap from the non-crap. At this point, he could be stuck down here for days if he tried to organize anything. Then again, maybe that wasn't a bad thing.

Looking at the pile closest to him, he got out his trusty pocket knife and ripped open the first boxes he saw. As suspected, old family heirlooms and picture frames filled with crumbling photos. A shadow of a past life that no one had time for anymore in Daryl's opinion. He moved on to the next box, finding what looked like some old newspaper clippings from the 50's and a couple of photo albums. The third box held ancient looking clothes; smelling of mothballs and too worn for anybody to use back at the prison. Daryl sighed, figuring that the stuff they could actually use was probably tucked so deep in down here that he'd never find it. He was contemplating digging down further in an attempt to at least see if there might've been some baby stuff when he heard a loud creak above his head, followed by a loud snapping sound.

"WHOA!"

Carol. He spun around, pointing the flashlight towards the steps. She must have stepped on the broken board, which had caved in under her weight. Luckily for him, she had managed to balance herself back on the step above before she fell along with it. She looked dazed but unhurt, much to his relief.

"God woman…" He walked carefully over to the bottom of the steps, aiming his flashlight directly at her. "You tryin' ta kill me or something?"

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, her head bent down so that she could see him. "You were taking a while and I thought maybe you ran into trouble. I just wanted to see if you were all right."

"M'fine. Just lookin' for food and finding nothin' but a bunch of junk."

"Can I see?" She asked, batting her eyelashes. "Maybe I can help go through some of it."

Daryl sighed. Why the hell did women always want to look through other people's shit? It was like a disease or something. Then again, if they were going to find anything to help them out he was probably gonna need help. Plus, if it kept her occupied until they could get back on the road, he figured he was willing to do it. "Tell ya what? I'll bring some of it up and you can look through it up there."

She smiled. "Okay, just hand it up to me and I'll get it."

Trying not to give it too much more thought, Daryl walked back over and grabbed one of the boxes closest to him. He couldn't take anything too heavy or it would just add more weight to what he had to carry up the already dodgy steps. He handed it up to her and went back down to grab another, but as he was walking back up the stairs his eyes noticed something sparkling in the back corner of the room just behind one of the chairs. It looked like a jar of something.

"Here take this one. I'm gonna go back I think I see something."

"Just be careful."

Putting the flashlight in his mouth, he reached up to hand her the other box before heading back down to see if he could get to the item. It took some maneuvering to get back to the corner, and he nearly busted his knee open on a sharp drawer corner, but when he finally reached his destination he was surprised to say the least. Grabbing the jar, he headed back through the maze, this time more careful as to where he stepped. He was surprised when he made it back unscathed.

"I'm comin' back up again." He yelled when he got back to the base of the stairs. "Get back so I don't hit ya on my way."

Carol obeyed, stepping back into the kitchen as he made his way up, carefully making the leap up past the broken board and back into the room again himself. Carol was still wrapped up in her blanket looking anxiously at him.

"So what did you find?"

Grinning, he held the jar out in front of her, but pulled it back before she was able to take it out of his hands. "My dinner."

"Peanuts?" She scoffed. "Well it's not exactly a steak dinner, but I'll take it."

"Who says I'm sharing?" He teased, grabbing one of the boxes and walking back into the living room. "Finders keepers."

Carol followed behind quickly with the other box. "That's not very gentlemanly of you."

He unloaded his box in front of the fire and laid down the crossbow. "Who the hell ever said I was a gentleman?"

She plopped the box she was holding down on the floor by his own, turning back to look at him with annoyance. "You've always been a gentleman. You just don't like people to know because it ruins your reputation as a badass."

Daryl couldn't help but chuckle. He certainly had a reputation as something, but he doubted it was for being a badass. A jackass was more like it. "Well whatever I am, I guess today's as good as any to turn over a new leaf." He popped a handful of peanuts in his mouth and handed the jar to her before having a seat back down on the cushions and taking a gulp of wine. "So what'd ya want to look in all these boxes for anyway?"

"I don't know. I just thought it'd be interesting to see how the people who lived here were." Carol sat back down. "You can tell a lot by people from what they own."

"Oh yeah?"

"Sure." She put the jar down and opened the first box. "You can usually tell pretty quickly if they were single or not. You can also tell by what the save what's most important to them." She pulled out some old pictures. "Like family for instance."

Daryl wasn't buying it. "That don't mean nothin'. They were hidden in a box in the basement. Prolly just pulled 'em out when company came over for appearances." He pointed at the picture of a happy smiling couple. "She coulda hated those people for all you know."

Carol grabbed the bottle from him, taking a sip. "You really like to take the fun out of things don't you?"

"That's me. The fun killer."

She shook her head, looking through the box again. "Just because our families left something to be desired doesn't mean that everyone hates theirs. My sister and I used to get along great as kids…it wasn't until we got older that we started disagreeing."

Daryl had been seconds away from popping more peanuts in his mouth when he froze. "Didn't know you had a sister. You never mentioned her."

Carol continued to look through the box, avoiding his eye contact. "Yeah well…she got sick and died while I was away at college. Leukemia." She pulled more pictures out. "They caught it too late and she was gone within a few months. After that, my mom just kind of shut down so I just tried to focus on school to get by. Things were never really the same again."

"What about your dad?"

"He left when I was four." She said plainly, her eyes finally meeting his. "I think my mom always secretly blamed us for him leaving, but after Rachel died, she didn't hold back on letting me think that it was all my fault. I was looking for a way out when Ed came along. He seemed like a breath of fresh air compared to my home life."

Daryl leaned back against the cushions, taking it all in. He'd spent so much time with this woman and yes somehow still felt like he barely knew her at all in some ways. They'd never been quick to delve into each other's pasts, but it still floored him that he was hearing all of these things that he'd never even thought to ask about. She'd heard more than her share about his miserable life with his dad and brother, but he'd never pushed her for information about her past, figuring if she wanted to share she would. This was a side of her he'd never expected.

"Sounds like you caught a bad hand all around."

"It all depends on how you look at it." She replied, a sad smile on her face. "It's true the first half of my life didn't go exactly as planned, but I still believe that the things you go through make you the person you are. If it weren't for all the struggles, I couldn't be as strong as I am now. I'm sure it's the same with you."

Daryl didn't tend to dwell on his past long enough to think about it, but he figured it was as good an assessment as anything. "S'pose so."

Carol took another moment to look at the pictures in front of her before unceremoniously dumping them back into the box and pushing it aside. Maybe all the reminiscing was getting to her after all. Daryl watched closely as she picked up the wine bottle proceeded to take three large gulps out of it before extending it back towards him.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood to get drunk." She looked back at him with a fire in her eyes that he'd never seen before. She looked wild…almost carnal. "What do you say…you in?"

Daryl stared at her for a few seconds, trying to take in her request. He hadn't been drunk since that night in the CDC when everything had quickly gone from bad to worse. He didn't love the idea of letting his guard down like that again, but it wasn't exactly like they were going anywhere any time soon neither. The snow was still coming down in bucketfuls and there was no way any walkers could make it up that hill even if they wanted to. Realistically, they were as safe they were ever gonna be in that moment. Pushing his hesitation to the side, Daryl leaned over and grabbed the bottle from her hand.

"I say let's do it."

**A/N: How'd I do with Daryl's POV? I felt like he needed a moment to shine just as much as Carol did, and hopefully I did him justice. It's gonna be fun to see how they both react with all this alcohol in their systems *Mr. Burns hands* but for now, I must get back to writing. Have a wonderful day…and don't forget you can now follow me on Twitter (emslang382) and Tumblr (kaoscraze82)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! **

**Thank you once again for all of the lovely thoughts and reviews…my loyal readers are just the best thing ever, but I'm so happy to see new names popping up all the time too. You guys are seriously the best! It couldn't have come at a better time either because I had a stupid family issue going on (which I won't bore you with) but after all of that I really needed a cheer up and this totally did it! It makes me so happy to see people enjoying this as much as I am. Anyway, what I'm really trying to say here is—**

**THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!**

**So now, I need to send a shout-out to ****adelicateflower08**** who wrote her very first fanfic! *proud mommy moment* and even though she tried to make me take the downfall for her (stinker) it's brilliant and you all need to read it as soon as you're done reading this ;-) It's called "Ya Know I Love Ya, Right?" and it can be found both on this website and also on Tumblr under Operation Levity. I've also had some time to catch up on a few other fics (it doesn't happen much folks this is a rare week for me!) and I have to also recommend checking out "A Will To Survive" by ****maximumred**** (I believe this one is only available through the Mibba website and not actually on here) "Crazy" by ****BSparrow**** and all three of the stories written by ****georgiapeachs****,which are all available on here. I will try to get to some more in the coming days but I head back to school very shortly so I can't make any promises…but keep an eye out anyway;-)**

**Okay—enough from me—enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: In the last week alone I've been called a goddess, merciless, brilliant and evil. I take ALL of these as compliments. Also, I own nothing. **

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

For a moment, Carol seriously wanted to crawl up into a ball and die. She had no idea what had even possessed her to bring up something so random from her past, but looking at Daryl's face when she told him about her family made her think it was probably a bad move. The last thing she wanted to do right now was bring up subjects that didn't matter anymore and make things even more uncomfortable than they already were. She had stuck her foot in her mouth more than once and it was probably going to get worse before they got out of here.

While she had never been the type of person to condone drinking for the sake of getting drunk, in that moment, absorbing copious amounts of alcohol seemed like the best idea she'd ever had. Knowing fully that Daryl wouldn't turn down her request, she figured this was the perfect opportunity to be able to do whatever they liked without having to make up excuses for their sanity in the process. Plus, maybe she could finally get him to admit that he was beginning to think about her as more than a friend and former protector. Even if he said it in the heat of the moment, it still counted in her book.

Grabbing the wine bottle, Carol gulped down as much as she could without drowning herself, before offering the bottle back to Daryl. After a moment of consideration on his part, he accepted it, drinking down a large gulp as well. Within fifteen minutes, they'd already polished off half of the bottle and were both lying back on the cushions against the foot of the sofa looking at the roaring fire directly in front of them. Carol could feel the warmth starting to spread from her chest down into her limbs and she suddenly felt extremely light and happy. She looked over at Daryl, who was trying to reach out and grab the edge of one of the pillows with his big toe; his face scrunched up in concentration and his tongue poking out just like a little kid. She had no idea what he even wanted the pillow for, but the image alone was too cute for words. Before she could stop it, a small giggle escaped up her throat and past her lips. Daryl's concentration broke as he looked over at her with amusement.

"I heard that…"

"What?"

"You're drunk." He chuckled, turning slightly to face her. "That was a drunk giggle."

Carol scoffed, trying not to look so transparent. "Was not."

"Was too."

"How would you know how I am when I'm drunk?" She tried her best to sound serious. "You've never seen me drunk before."

"Don't need to see it." He remarked, smirking back at her. "I can call 'em from a mile away. You're a giggler for sure."

"And what type are you?"

He made a little snorting sound. "I'm the belligerent type. Yell at people and do stupid shit. S'why I don't do it too often."

"I don't remember you yelling at anyone when we were in the CDC."

"That's cause I passed out in my room before it got too bad. Wine just makes me kinda tired and stupid. Get some whiskey into me and it's a different story." He sniffled, rubbing at his nose. "S'what my daddy and Merle used to drink. Dixons are nasty sonsofbitches when we drink whiskey. Haven't touched the stuff in years."

It made sense now. Daryl knew his limitations and he didn't push them unless he was forced to. He had been trying so hard not to turn into his father and brother that he'd actually broken the chain without even realizing it. Because of this, he had been able to turn into a loyal friend and fearless leader, someone who cared about others more than himself. It was probably his greatest achievement in life and he didn't even realize what he'd done.

"You're amazing you know." She heard the words leave her mouth before she even knew they were coming out. "The way you've turned your whole life around and made something of yourself…not many men in your position would've been brave enough to take charge of a group like ours and get things done, but you've always looked out for us even at your own risk. I know everyone at the prison appreciates it and thinks you're a great asset. So do I."

He scoffed like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Yeah some great asset. I took you out and got us stranded on the road to nowhere in the middle of a goddamn blizzard."

"Daryl, you couldn't have predicted this…nobody could have." She tried to reason, but her head felt fuzzy. "And besides…I don't mind being stranded with you one bit." She leaned in closer. "In fact…I think we should do it more often."

He looked up at her; his face was a mixture of surprise and interest. Under normal circumstances, this would have been the part where he told her to stop fooling around and they would have laughed and moved on, but he wasn't looking at her like he wanted her to stop. In fact, he looked quite the opposite. Trying to make her point very clear, Carol moved her whole body over until their arms and legs were touching. She turned her head towards his, angling it so that they were just inches apart. His eyes narrowed in a way that she had never seen before. A way that made her think he was considering letting this finally move forward.

"Ya think so huh?"

She kept direct eye contact, her voice steady and sure. "Absolutely."

He seemed to be taking in her words carefully, and his stare was becoming so intense that it felt like he was burning holes right through her skin. Carol could feel her face flushing, trying desperately not to get ahead of herself but secretly hoping that this would finally be the moment she had been waiting for. She could see the flames from the fire dancing around wildly in the corners of his steel blue eyes, creating a hypnotizing visual. Then suddenly, he flicked his gaze down to her mouth, licking his lips hungrily at the sight. Carol could feel her insides turning to lava and her head began to swim. Dear god, she wanted more. So much more.

"Where'd you put the peanuts?"

She blinked, her face retracting slightly. Surely she'd heard him wrong. "What?"

Before she could get verification, he leaned over to one side of her arm where the jar was and grabbed it up. He then opened the lid and sprinkled a few of the nuts in his palm before quickly raising it up to his mouth to devour them. All Carol could do was sit there and watch. It was possibly the most confusing and arousing thing she had ever seen.

"Maybe we should just…do something else."

She moved herself back over to her previous spot, trying to get her mind off it all. Daryl took the time to lie back down and get comfortable with his head propped against the couch before popping more peanuts into his mouth. "Like what?"

She had absolutely no ideas. "Um…how about a game?"

"A game?" He didn't look thrilled at the idea. "Like what, spin the bottle?"

Carol knew he was kidding, but damn if the odds weren't finally in her favor for that one. She bit her tongue, trying desperately to keep the comment to herself, but it was getting more difficult the fuzzier her brain got. _Focus._

"The bottle's not empty, so that would be a disaster." She said, figuring it was a safe enough response. "I was thinking something along the lines of a questions game. Like you ask me things and then I ask you. Kind of a better way to get to know each other."

Daryl stuck out his tongue in a way that was most likely supposed to be annoyance, but Carol only found it more provocative. "We already know plenty 'bout each other."

"Yeah but I'm sure there's plenty more we _don't_ know." She said, batting her eyelashes. "Come on…its either this or I make you go back down in the cellar again to get me more boxes to go through."

It only took him a second to consider before he sighed and took another swig of wine. "Fine. What'd ya wanna know?"

"Why don't we play 'this or that'?" She said, remembering how Sophia and her friends had done this for hours at a time at sleepover parties. "I'll give you two choices and you tell me which one."

"Whatever."

Carol decided to start with something simple. "Okay…chocolate or vanilla?"

Daryl looked confused. "Chocolate or vanilla what?"

"Anything…which do you prefer?"

He looked over at her like she had an antenna growing out of her forehead. "What does that matter?"

"It's supposed to be fun." She sighed. "Just answer the question Daryl."

He thought about it for a minute before looking back. "Neither. I like strawberry."

Carol smirked, imagining him eating juicy strawberries in the summertime with juice dripping down his chin. She almost licked her lips in response. "Okay I can live with that. Your turn."

Daryl frowned, his brain obviously struggling to come up with one. "Okay…the Jeep or my bike?"

Carol laughed. "Always the bike. It's much more fun."

He smiled, apparently liking her answer. "Good choice. Your turn."

"Okay…shower or bath?"

Daryl scowled. "Shower. Guys don't do baths."

"Some do."

"Name one."

"Ed used to love baths." She laughed. "Sometimes I couldn't get him out for hours."

Daryl snorted. "That almost makes me hate him more."

She rolled her eyes. "Your turn."

"Semi-automatic or rifle?"

"Rifle." She said, remembering the day they'd worked together to clear the prison and he'd rubbed her shoulder afterwards. "Blue or green?"

"Blue. Squirrel or deer meat?"

"Deer." She smirked, seeing his reaction. "I know you love squirrel, but I prefer to have something with a little more filling. Plus I love venison meat. It's so tender."

He nodded. "Fair enough. Your turn."

"Um…dirty or clean."

"Dirty." He didn't even hesitate. "Always dirty."

Carol could feel the blood rushing to her face, but she pushed on. "Your turn."

"Cats or dogs."

"Dogs."

"Cake or pie?"

"Pie."

"Okay…" Feeling bolder, she decided to get a little more personal. "Blonde or brunette?"

He paused, his face full of indecision. "Don't really gotta preference, but I guess…brunette."

"Like Maggie right?"

The words had come tumbling out before she could catch them, but the look of surprise on his face told her that she may have gone too far. She wasn't trying to say that he liked Maggie like that…but she honestly couldn't blame him if he did. She was young and beautiful even if she wasn't available to him. Carol tried to recover quickly before he it got too out of hand.

"Nevermind. I don't know where that came from. Just the wine talking."

He didn't respond back, but it was his silence that bothered her the most. She was beginning to think that maybe this game was a bad idea. It was putting way more thoughts into her head than it should have been. She was just about to suggest that they stop when he hit her with an unexpected question.

"Rick or me?"

She was sure the look on her face was that of utter shock. "What?"

"Rick or me?" He looked pretty serious, so she knew that he wasn't playing around. "If you had a choice between one of us havin' your back…who would it be?"

There was no hesitation in her heart, but suddenly her head was questioning everything. Was he really asking her who she'd want by her side in a moment of danger? It was like asking if she wanted oxygen to breathe. It was too simple…but yet it felt like a trick. Was there something more to it than she was seeing? Was he trying to suggest that she should pick Rick instead?

"I-"

"Forget it. That wine's doin' a number on both of us." He said quickly, his face getting slightly red as he pushed himself up from the floor and started walking out of the room. "I'm gonna go get ya some more boxes to look through. Stay here."

Carol tried to think of what to say to stop him, but he was gone before she could even get the words out. Drunk or not, she knew that she had hurt him by not responding back, and she needed to make it up to him fast. He had to know that she would never want Rick or anybody else with her in any situation as long as she could have him there. He had saved her more times than she could count, and he had been there for her in the worst moments of her life. She had to make him see…to understand. There was never any other answer that would ever have crossed her mind.

_You. It's always you. _

**A/N: I know…you're sitting there like REALLY? SHE COULDN'T TELL HIM A SIMPLE ANSWER? I get this and I acknowledge your pain. But folks, with pain comes pleasure…sooooooo much pleasure *evil laughter* I should have chapter 4 up soon, but for now…*more evil laughter***


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello Carylers!**

**I have to say…it's been a seriously crazy week for me. It's been a rollercoaster ride for sure, but I am so thankful to everyone who has been there for me through it all. You guys are truly amazing!**

**As I had mentioned before, I have been having some family issues lately, and then a few days ago I did something without thinking about it first and ended up hurting someone I really respect and it just made my world turn upside down. After wallowing for two straight days over it, I decided (with the help and support of others in my wonderful Tumblr community) that I did what I could do to right the wrong and if this person couldn't forgive me then it was just something I would have to accept. Somehow, out of the ashes of that horrible event came some truly wonderful gifts as well. Just this morning I got an incredible note from my beautiful wonderful friend (you know who you are) telling me how wonderful she thinks I am and I seriously started bawling…like big fat ugly tears with snot running down my face and everything. Then not ten minutes later, I found out that Melissa McBride is coming to a convention not too far from where I live in early March and I just purchased tickets to go so that I can finally meet the astounding woman in person. I honestly can't wait, but I'm also scared that the minute I see her I'm going to either A-scream and turn bright red, B-start ugly crying and not be able to talk, or C-tell her to call the producers on the show so that I can yell at them for making us all go through this horrible journey without her and depicting Carol as a brutal killer. Hopefully by then I'll be able to keep my emotions in check and not scare her!**

**So back to the story…I had wanted to make a point of this back in chapter 1 but kind of forgot about it, but in case you're all wondering, this is—at least in MY mind—an AU story. I know it's mostly based on the same locations and people, but you will begin to see some major differences from the show in this chapter for sure. For one thing, I'm pretending that most of season 4 really hasn't happened. There are no 'other survivors' in my mind for this…no crazy kids, no Governor attack, etc. There was DEFINITELY no Rick throwing Carol out of the prison scenario. I know he's on everyone's crap list right now, but I still enjoy writing aspects of Rick and he will be mentioned in this chapter. In fact, it should pretty much explain what happened at the end of the last chapter so hopefully you'll be cool with it. I STILL can't believe how things are working themselves out with this story! It's like a dream…a beautiful, wacky, wonderful dream that I hope will never end!**

**Anyway, that's all for now. Sorry for my crazy rantings. Please go off and read ;-)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

_A game? What the_ hell_ was I thinking?_

Daryl tried to shake off the feelings of anger and resentment he was currently drowning in as he shuffled through the never-ending stack of boxes in the cellar, trying desperately to get his mind off of what had just occurred. That stupid wine had opened him up to talking, but it'd also opened him up to rejection. He should've known it wouldn't end well when alcohol was involved. It never did.

From the minute he'd heard that damn giggle come spewing out of Carol's mouth, he'd fallen hook line and sinker. She looked as carefree as he'd ever seen her in that moment, and both of them had their guards down for the first time in a long time. She had never looked more amazing to him in that moment, and he'd almost let himself get caught up in it too. It would have been so easy to take advantage of it, but that was the problem…he _would_ be taking advantage. She was definitely further along on the tipsy scale than he was, and his conscious was getting the best of him.

_She's only acting this way 'cause she's drunk._

It was the one thing that kept repeating over and over in his head as he contemplated changing things up with her for good. He sure as hell didn't want to kiss her and then have her wake up regretting it in the morning. He nearly pissed himself when she pressed her body up next to his; her eyes telling him that she was all in. His gaze had broken away from hers as he looked down at her parted lips, trying frantically to keep the notion in his head that this wasn't really her doing this. The booze was dictating her actions and he knew it. It had been damn near painful to do, but at the very last second he had managed to pull away, his eyes searching for the one thing that might just save them both.

The look on her face when he'd asked her for the peanuts had been hard to take and it made him feel like a chump, but it was better than getting a shot to the groin for trying to grope her. He needed to keep his wits about him if he was gonna stand a chance of getting out of this house with his manhood still intact. She'd pulled away then too, her brain apparently becoming aware of what it was trying to do.

"Maybe we should just…do something else."

"Like what?"

"How about a game?"

A game wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind, but if it would keep her distracted until the effects of the alcohol wore off, he was in. He was just grateful she hadn't reacted to his stupid move of asking her to play spin the bottle…not that her idea had been much better. Playing a lame kiddie questions game didn't exactly thrill him, but he figured it was at least safe territory. It had started out innocently enough, each of them asking the other a question on which thing they preferred. In truth, he'd probably asked her harder questions than he needed to, but it pretty much came down to the first thing that popped into his head.

He thought of the motorcycle not because he was worried about his own, but because he suddenly remembered why he'd suggested they take it on their run that morning. Sure the Jeep was more convenient with protection from the cold and storage space, but it didn't give them the opportunity to be close like he sometimes wanted. The feeling of her straddling the bike behind him, with her legs pressed up against his and her arms tightly around his waist was about as good as it got in his book. Around the prison, they had to keep the touchy feely stuff to a minimum or everyone started talking. One time he'd come up behind her at the food station, leaning in to see what she was cooking and accidentally ended up with his lips brushing against her neck. People had teased them mercilessly for days and he'd tried to play it off, but his face had turned so red that he knew it really wasn't fooling anyone. Carol had been more than understanding about it all too, which actually made it worse. She could've at least pretended to be mad at him for their sake. It had only made it harder not to want to do it again.

The questions had gotten more complicated as they went along, with both of them less aware of what was likely to come flying out of their mouths. She'd put a wild visual in his head when she'd asked about showers versus baths. No matter which way he spun it, all Daryl could see was an image of her standing naked in a stream of water; her skin glistening under the beads of water that rolled down her body as she lathered up with soap starting with her shoulders, down to her breasts and stomach, moving down to her hips and further south to the place he so desperately wanted to be. The image alone made his dick spring to life uncomfortably in his pants, but it had worn off quickly when she mentioned that her sad excuse for a dead husband liked to take baths. Talk about a fucking mood killer.

Some of the answers had been simple. Blue or green? Easy. Blue, just like her eyes. Dirty or clean? When the hell had she ever seen him clean in her life? Of course, there had been another implication involved in that response, and he hadn't missed the slight hint of pink that bloomed on her cheeks when she realized it. Cake or pie? He smiled at this one. Over the summer, Carol had managed to surprise everyone at the prison by finding enough supplies to make a couple of pies with fruit they had picked from the garden and some other things she had found on a run they'd done together. He'd volunteered to be the guinea pig and test the first batch for her, watching her eyes light up as he took the first bite and trying hard not to look like a complete dork as he realized how good it felt to be eating something he thought he'd never get to taste again. It had been perfect until she'd lifted her hand to his face, using her thumb to wipe a crumb off his chin. The motion startled him, causing him to hit the pie tin with his hand and dump it all over the floor. She'd forgiven him once again, claiming that accidents happened and she'd just make another, but he'd avoided the food station when she was cooking for days after that, worried he'd just end up making an ass of himself again. It had been a disaster in most respects, but he knew he'd never forget that moment or the look on her face when he took that bite. It had also prompted his response to her first question.

_Strawberry. Just like the pie._

Grunting in his frustration, Daryl tossed some of the lighter boxes towards the back of the space, trying to get them out of the way. There was so much shit down here that it almost just wanted to bury himself in it, hoping she'd just forget he was down here and leave him alone. There was no scenario he could work out that would end up playing out well for him by the end of all of this. It was bad enough that he was trying to hide from her again, but he knew it wouldn't last either. If he stayed down here much longer, she was gonna come after him and probably kill herself trying to get down those steps. Why'd she have to be so damn concerned about everyone else but herself? Gone were the days of him being able to go off on his own and brood over things. She knew him too well now. If he so much as got a look of annoyance on his face, she was there trying to calm him down and make him see reason. He tried for her sake to put up with it most days, but right now it was fueling his rage. It would've been so much easier if she just didn't care at all about him at all. At least then he could move on and figure out something else. Standing by watching someone and knowing they'd never feel the same way back was about the worst damn feeling ever.

He should have known that she would've picked Rick. He was what every woman wanted…smart, brave, good-looking, and loyal to a fault. He'd nearly gone insane after losing his wife and was trying to raise two kids in the hell surrounding them, knowing that one of them might not even be his own. It was in his blood to be the good guy. Why would Carol want anything else but the best after all she'd put up with?

Despite his anger, he couldn't blame her. He'd treated her like shit one too many times for her to ever feel that way back about him. It had been one thing when he'd helped man the search for Sophia and tried to act like he knew what the hell he was doing, but in the end he hadn't been able to save her baby girl and he'd given her crap on top of it. She had told him that she never blamed him for any of it, but he knew deep inside that she had to. If he'd been smart enough to chase after her as soon as he saw her run down that embankment, they would've gotten to her sooner and she wouldn't have gotten bit. Next to having to put Merle down after he'd turned, it was Daryl's biggest regret in life. Now he could add putting the woman he cared about in danger and asking stupid questions to the list.

_So why'd you ask her if you didn't wanna know the answer?_

Deep down, he knew why. It had been triggered by her question to him. The one that had made him momentarily lose track of his thoughts and misread her reasoning. The one that had given him hope that there might have been more to what she was really asking him.

Blonde or brunette.

The real answer would have been neither, but she'd already made it clear that he wasn't supposed to give backhanded responses. Besides, it would immediately give him away. He thought about it for a moment, taking in the shade of her short, now wavy silver-toned locks and figuring that it was too deep a shade for her to have been a blonde before. He also didn't detect that she'd been a redhead or she would've had more freckles. Something in his gut was telling him that brunette was the best option, but he couldn't exactly ask her to clarify either. Either way, as soon as he said it, he immediately wished he could take it back.

"Like Maggie right?"

Daryl had tried to hide his surprise, but he'd known what she was asking him. She wanted to know if he'd been thinking about Maggie the way that he thought about her. It wasn't any secret that Maggie was a beautiful woman, but he'd never really given her any thought past the point that she and Beth were Herschel's daughters and he'd do anything in his power to keep their family unit alive. He really hadn't worried about her since they were back on the farm, knowing that she could handle herself just fine when it came down to it. Hell, he probably worried more about Glenn than Maggie…and she was married for Christ sakes! Did Carol really think that he was that much of a creeper that he was having fantasies about newly married women on his spare time? If he wanted to think about women, there were plenty of other single ones around he could've focused on instead. Besides, why would he bother when he knew no one would return the favor? There had to be something more to what she was asking.

_She's jealous._

He wanted to say it out loud, and he almost did, but thank god what little brain power he had left stopped him before it came out. He never would've lived that one down. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized something. Lately it seemed that when Carol was flirting with him, Rick always seemed to be right there watching. Rick had been there when she'd kissed his cheek last week after he'd cleared off the dishes in an attempt to try and help her get settled after they'd eaten. Rick had been there when they'd had a close call in the tombs on their way out to the main cell block and she'd squeezed his hand after he'd called all clear. Rick had even been close by when she'd offered to attempt to give him a haircut, playing with the long strands around his face like he was some kind of a damn Barbie doll. Suddenly, it dawned on him…he had been seeing those moments from the wrong perspective.

Carol wasn't flirting with _him_. She was trying to make Rick jealous by using him to get to the man she _really_ wanted to be with.

Call it a combination of the wine and his own stupidity, but suddenly he had to know. Before he knew it, the words had come tumbling out like vomit and she was staring back at him with utter bewilderment etched on her face while the seconds ticking by like the countdown to his life ending. The confusion seemed to change over to reasoning and then she broke contact, her face dipping down like she didn't want him to see her expression, and just like that, he knew.

She didn't have to verbalize it. Her silence was saying it all.

He was up within half a second, his mind reeling as he tried to get out of the room before she could see the devastation on his face. He'd made up some half assed excuse just like she had, blaming it on the wine. Then suddenly he was back down in the basement, trying like hell to fight off the embarrassment of the moment. It hadn't stuck around long, and was now being replaced by a mixture of anger, frustration and self-loathing. How had he let things get this far? He'd never needed a woman before…why was this one so damn important? It wasn't like she was even that special in the grand scheme of things. So why her?

_Why her?_

There was no easy answer for that question. He didn't know why the hell he felt anything anymore. After losing the only family he'd had, he should've just kept on walking, but he didn't. Something about her kept bringing him back over and over again, but maybe now it was time to start cutting the strings. It was selfish, but he didn't think he could stand by and watch her make the moves on one of his best friends. He sure as hell didn't want to be there the day that Rick realized what was going on and started returning the favor.

Sitting down on one of the chairs he'd cleared, Daryl put his face in his hands. His head was pounding and the lack of sleep the night before was starting to get to him. He needed to rest if he was gonna be able to deal with any of it. Maybe if he got these boxes up to her, it'd distract her for long enough that he could get in a quick nap. Grabbing a couple of the lighter ones, he threw them up to the top of the stairs then made his way up carefully back into the kitchen. To his surprise, she wasn't there at the door waiting for him this time. He stacked the boxes and shuffled them over into the hallway, but as he turned to push them into the living room, he halted. Carol was curled up in a ball on the floor with her blanket wrapped up tightly against her with only the top of her head sticking out. Her breathing was deep and even, telling him that she wasn't faking it…she really had fallen asleep.

_Apparently I was down there longer than I thought. _

Moving the pile of boxes as quietly as he could over to the corner of the door, he crept in slowly and went over to the couch just above where she was napping. He grabbed his blanket and a couple of pillows to support his back and got settled, feeling exhaustion quickly overtake him.

When they woke up again, things would be different. He hated knowing that he couldn't just go on pretending that he didn't know how she felt, but he couldn't exactly change her mind either. Closing his eyes, Daryl let the weight of the decision go and let sleep take over.

_I gotta let it go…she was never mine to begin with._

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed Daryl's lovely angst. I honestly think this is my favorite chapter so far. It came flowing out of me like he was sitting right next to me telling me what to say. I love it when that happens (hehe) The next chapter will be strictly Carol so I look forward to putting that out soon.**

**Before I go, I need to recommend some more stories (yay reading!) and I want to point out a couple of writers in particular. In case any of you haven't already seen it (which I'd think is almost impossible if you follow me on Tumblr bc I'm constantly ranting about it) PLEASE go read ****adelicateflower08****'s new story "And The Hunter Was Happy"…she's one of the big reasons I'm so emotional right now. On top of this only being her second foray into writing, she has now produced 7 chapters in less than a week, and the last one seriously broke my love feels. It's awesome and you all need to read it!**

**The next one is subversivegrrl, who I accidentally forgot to mention last time but who has written plenty of awesome stories (my favorites so far are Phobias, Tomorrow is a Long Time, and Threshold) and ****muthawalker****, who made my ovaries explode with her heated tale called "Evolving". I was also sad to see that "Dog Days of Dixon" by ****Silver Dog Demon**** finally ended but it was one of my favorite AU stories of all time, and also "Overcoming Loneliness" by ****vickih****, which I believe is now also finished. If you haven't checked those out either, please do.**

**So lovely job ladies, and I can't wait to read more later! LLACO!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello Carylers!**

**Sorry I'm a little behind this week on things. It's only my second week back to school and already I'm being bogged down with crap like speeches and papers and spreadsheet databases and I really just want to throw it all under my car and speed the hell out of there but I didn't maintain a 4.0 for this long just to give it up this close to being done! I will persevere…it just might get in the way of my writing time unfortunately **

**I'm glad to see that (for the most part) you all enjoyed the Daryl chapter. I think that some of you might get the impression that I'm messing with his head for the sake of being mean, but that's definitely not my intention. I really wanted the focus of the chapter to be about the good things more than the bad, like what he was really thinking about when he and Carol played the game. Those little moments may not have even brought up the same feelings for her as they did for him, and he's not exactly a verbal guy most of the time so it was fun to get into a little bit of detail with that. The agonizing stuff is just something that I think he does a lot in general…he strikes me as the type of person to always assume that he can never have what he really wants because of how he grew up. Carol's the same…it's why they connect so well…they just can't seem to connect with each other!**

**Anyway this one will be from Carol's POV and I think as you read you'll see where I'm starting to go with the story. It's subtle, but keep an eye out anyway! LLACO!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with The Walking Dead**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Carol hadn't anticipated Daryl being gone as long as he had. She had made a promise to herself to sort things out as soon as he came back, but before long she could feel her eyelids growing heavier and heavier as the warmth of the fire and the effects of the wine began to lull her into a state of complete exhaustion. By the time she came back to her senses, there was hardly any light coming in from outside the window, reasoning that she had definitely been asleep for longer than a few minutes. Looking around slowly so she wouldn't get dizzy, Carol noticed that there was now a stack of boxes piled up next to the doorway, obviously courtesy of his work in the cellar. Turning back around, she heard what sounded like light snoring coming from just behind her. Apparently she had been so out of it that she had also failed to notice Daryl reenter the room and join her in the quest for some shuteye.

The blanket draped over his lap was threatening to spill over onto the floor, and his head was propped up on one arm and his feet on the other, creating something of a hammock effect. As always, his hair was hanging down in his eyes blocking their view, and his slightly parted lips were moving as he mumbled in his sleep. Carol chuckled outwardly at the sight of the man who now looked more like a small child than a grown adult. It always amazed her how quickly he could just plop himself down wherever he was and be asleep within minutes. Maybe it was a survival tactic or just a male thing in general, but even when he was upset he could still manage to drop off within minutes of sitting down. She envied him for it.

Carol crawled over to the edge of the sofa and straightened the blanket out, pulling it up over his chest and arms. It must have been cold down in the cellar and he would never admit that it bothered him, but she could see the goosebumps rising on his skin as she slid the fabric carefully across his torso. He grunted slightly and shifted, causing her to freeze in place.

"M'sorry…mmmsa…"

Her heart leapt up into her throat. He was trying to apologize in his sleep, but she knew fully that he had no reason to. She was the one who had messed this all up. If anything, she should be the one apologizing to him. He didn't deserve to feel like less of a man just because she couldn't answer a stupid question in a timely manner. She would need to make this right again, and the quickest way to do that was to put in her own effort into making things easier on him.

Finding her bearings, Carol stood up slowly, making sure she kept her weight distributed evenly so she didn't topple back over. Her head was still a little fuzzy and her mouth was dry but in general she still felt okay. Hopefully she could surpass the worst of the hangover effects until tomorrow when they were out of here. She looked over at the fire, noticing that the logs were starting to burn down pretty low again. As quietly as she could, she walked over to get the last two pieces of wood she'd brought in and tossed them carefully onto the fire. One made a loud popping sound that startled her, but when she looked back at Daryl, she saw he hadn't moved.

She hated to have to go back outside into the cold snowy weather, but they were going to need more wood before long. She was also interested to see if she might be able to find a shovel or something that would help them clear a path back down to the road so that they didn't kill themselves trying to get back out again in the morning. Walking over to the window by the front door, she pressed her face up to it trying to get an idea of what it was doing outside. The sky was now dark gray and the windows were icing up from the cold, making it impossible to see anything. If she wanted to know what it was doing, she was going to have to do it the hard way and actually step outside. Shuffling back over to where her clothes were sitting by the fire, Carol threw on her now toasty warm long sleeved shirt and sweater, grabbed her boots and one of the flashlights and headed towards the kitchen.

Going out the back door made more sense because it wouldn't startle Daryl if she made some noise, and the door was already partially removed from the hinges anyway. It felt weird trying to sneak out of the house, but it wasn't like she wasn't planning on being gone for long anyway. She turned the knob, surprised with how easily it opened for her. Unfortunately, the door was at an odd angle and it made a horrible scraping sound as the edge dragged along the linoleum floor. She went to close it but decided to leave it partially open just so she wouldn't have problems getting back in again after the fact.

A cold blast of wind hit her immediately as she walked out to the yard, causing her to wish she'd grabbed her jacket as well. Luckily the snow had mostly stopped now and was just blowing around in the gusts of frigid air. She stuffed her hands in her sleeves and folded her arms across her chest, trying to keep what body heat she still had protected as she continued walking towards the side of the house. Grabbing up as many logs as she could handle carrying in one trip, she turned to go back to the door when out of the corner of her eye she spotted something bright red just up the hill poking out from behind a small maple tree at the border of the yard. It looked like a shed of some sort, and it seemed to have something sticking out the side. Intrigued, Carol placed the logs back down next to the door and made her way up the hill, wondering if maybe she might be able to find something that would work as a shovel. As she got closer, she noticed that the thing sticking out of the side was actually a ride-on mower, which seemed to have done battle with a walker that was now pinned between the mower and the shed. It was hard to tell with the snow everywhere, but when she crouched down she could see strips of flesh hanging down from below the blades where the creature had gotten caught and torn up around the ankles. She went to push herself back up again when the walker's hand jutted out, trying to grab at her.

"Oh my god!"

Carol managed to jump away before it could do any damage, but she mentally cursed at herself for not thinking to check and see if the creature had actually been finished off before making a move. Her hand went to reach for her knife, but it quickly dawned on her that it was still inside with her jacket. If Daryl had seen this he would've chastised her into next week. The walker continued to reach out as far as it could; the coldness and its compressed lower half giving it limited mobility. Trying to think on her feet, she searched around for a branch that might have fallen off the tree that would be strong enough to act in place of her knife. She eventually came across one that seemed fairly sturdy and brought it back over to complete the task. Going in through the ear, she stabbed the sharp stick through the side of its head and pulling it back out again quickly. The walker immediately stopped moving and went slack, slumping over onto one side and falling against the mower.

_Well that takes care of that._

There were no other signs of danger as far as she could see, but the sooner she got inside the better. Figuring maybe she could quickly check the shed and still get back before Daryl noticed she was gone, Carol quickly grabbed the handgrip and pulled, surprised at how difficult it was to open. The hinges seemed to be frozen together, and the handle was difficult to keep a hold of because of the cold wet metal. After a minute or two she was able to finally loosen it and managed to pull it open wide enough that she could slip inside. It wasn't a big space by any means, and there wasn't much light coming in except from a small screened pane on the side. Carol turned on her flashlight and looked around, immediately shocked by how little she found. It must have been cleaned out at some point, possibly by the same person who had raided the house. She spotted a rake towards the back wall but even most of the gardening supplies were gone. There wasn't a shovel in sight at all.

"Crap."

Figuring there was no point in grabbing the rake, Carol turned to go back out but she stopped when a large gust of wind whipped up and rattled the small shed. A moment later, the door slammed shut, making her nearly jump out of her skin. Using the flashlight to guide herself back, she reached the door again but when she pushed, it wouldn't budge. There was a sudden scraping noise like something had shifted as well and fallen down the wall, landing right in front of the door. Carol guessed it was probably the walker falling over after finally dislodging from the mower, but in truth she was hoping it wasn't.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

There was silence, which made her think that it really had just been the wind. Pushing up against the door, she was still unable to make it move. The shed was just as cold inside as it was outside, and she could see her breath coming out in clouds as she continued to try and budge the stubborn hinges back open again. After five minutes with no luck, she finally collapsed in a heap with her head spinning. The rake wasn't going to do her much good either, as it looked to be older than she was. The flashlight began to flicker, signaling that it was time for new batteries. Why hadn't she thought to change them before they left?

_Just breathe…it's not that bad. Remember, you're not in danger._

There was still enough light coming in from the window that she could at least see to help herself sit down. The claustrophobia was creeping in as she tried to slow her breathing and concentrate on what she could do. The walls immediately began to feel like they were closing in on her and she shut her eyes to try and block it all out. The wind was still howling against the roof, blowing snow drifts angrily across the side of the wall and making it feel like it might all tumble down on top of her.

_Stop being dramatic. You're fine Daryl will find you eventually. Just focus._

She practiced taking in deep breaths…in and out…in and out. Her body was beginning to feel the effects of the cold air surrounding her as she tucked her limbs in as tightly as she could to her body, curling herself up into a ball. Suddenly the idea of having to face him and admit her feelings seemed like a piece of cake compared to having to deal with the situation she was currently in. She knew that calling out for help wouldn't do any good because even if Daryl could hear her, she would more likely attract unwanted guests too. Making the decision, Carol knew that she was just going to have to wait it out until he woke up and found her tracks in the snow and found her out here. It wouldn't be long. She could hold out.

_I have to. I don't have a choice._

**A/N: There you have chapter 5…Carol's really gotten herself in quite a pickle hasn't she? Wonder what's going to happen next! *dun dun duuuuunn* Can't wait to see some reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello folks,**

**So today's the day! We've all been waiting long enough for some answers and I know that I'm seriously ready for a Caryl reunion of ANY kind. Unfortunately, we're gonna have to wait a little while longer for that because the first episode is strictly Rick/Carl/Michonne based, but I'm still excited nonetheless. I can't wait to get more backstory on Michonne for sure…that story is probably going to be some of the hardest stuff to watch in all honesty but I still want to know what makes this woman tick. Danai is hitting it out of the park and it's crazy to see her in real life versus how she acts on the show. Could NOT be more opposite if she tried!**

**The Conan stuff was cute too, and seriously…how adorable were Mel and Norm? *squeals* I couldn't believe they sang their theme song too! I have been humming it for days now…I'm completely hooked and we need a spin-off immediately! I am also super excited because in less than a month, I will be travelling to NJ to meet the amazing woman herself (weather permitting of course-cross your fingers!) and also possibly going to NYC the week before to meet the amazing ****oohhshiny**** as well! It's gonna be a good year for me…I can just feel it!**

**Okay so back to the story…sorry it took me so long to update this but school projects and snow storms seem to have gotten in my way this week. It looked like some of you were a little concerned on Carol's behalf from the last chapter, and you have a right to be, but maybe not for the reason you're thinking. This chapter is strictly from Daryl's POV and I think you will be able to appreciate him even more in this one because it's his one-track way of thinking that ends up saving the day. Anyway, go on and check it out now. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, I own a computer and a bed, but that's about it.**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

The first thing Daryl noticed when he woke up was silence. There didn't seem to be any noises coming from the room save for the fire, which was crackling happily a few feet away from him. Carol was probably still asleep. He debated for a moment, trying to figure out if he should attempt to get up and deal with the situation at hand or if he should just ignore it for a little while longer. One eye cracked open and looked around, his vision taking in the now familiar room that he'd been stuck in for half the day. Everything looked exactly the same as it had before, with one major exception—Carol was no longer on the floor asleep. In fact, she wasn't anywhere in the room.

It was anyone's guess how long he'd been out, but he could tell it'd been awhile considering how dark it was outside. She'd probably woken up first and decided to raid the rest of the house while he wasn't there to stop her. Surprisingly, as he sat up and looked around some more, he noticed that the boxes he'd brought up for her were still in the corner completely untouched. He also noted that Carol's boots and sweater were gone, but her jacket was still on the chair in the corner. It was possible she'd just gotten cold and put them back on, but something in his gut was telling him there was more to it.

The rest of the wood that been sitting in the corner was gone too, so maybe she'd gone to collect some more. Tossing the blanket aside and putting his boots back on, Daryl made his way over to the kitchen to see if he could at least make sure that she hadn't tried to go back down into the cellar without him, but it was apparent as soon as he walked in the room exactly where she'd gone. The back door was still open, but he couldn't make out any noise from their either. If she was out getting wood, he definitely would've heard something. Pushing the door open a little wider, he stuck his head outside, trying to get a visual.

"Carol…you out here?"

Silence. That was never a good sign.

Daryl stepped completely outside and looked down, noticing that they went off in different directions. One path went over to the side of the house and one trailed up and into the yard. He saw there was a stack of wood just by the door too, and it looked like it'd been sitting there for a while based on the amount of snow sitting on top. From what he could make out, it looked like she'd gone to collect the wood and had gotten distracted by something up the hill. She hadn't been running from anything, but that didn't mean she wasn't in danger. If he was going to find her, he needed to get his gear. Making his way back to the living room, he went to reach for his jacket when the silver glint of her brass knuckles knife caught his eye sitting on the table next to the chair in the corner.

_Shit. She's unarmed._

There was one rule Daryl had above all others, and that was never leave your weapon behind. In the world they lived in, a situation could go from bad to worse in half a second and he'd made sure that they were always prepared for it. Even if she wasn't in danger before, she sure as hell was now. It didn't help that she was probably still buzzing from the wine and wasn't thinking straight neither. Grabbing his crossbow and flashlight, he headed back out to the yard again, this time more worried than before.

The snow had stopped but the winds were still pretty bitter. Zipping up his jacket, he made his way up the hill, careful not to step in the same areas she had. He knew wherever she'd gone, she hadn't returned from it because this set of footprints only went in one direction. There was still no noise other than the trees rustling and his feet crunching in the snow. He would've at least felt a little bit better if he could hear her marching around somewhere, but the whole thing just wasn't sitting right with him. The thought that she'd been out here calling for help while he'd been inside dreaming made his stomach turn. If anything happened to her that he could've prevented, he'd never forgive himself.

Before he knew it, his legs had broken into a sprint, carrying him up the slope as quickly as they could. The trail ended right at the edge of the yard and went directly to a shed just a few feet ahead of him. There was something blocking the door, and as he got closer he realized that it was a walker…well part of one anyway. The lower half of it had obviously lost a battle with a lawn tractor, but its torso had partially ripped off and fallen just in front of the door handle, obstructing the way. Carol's prints led straight inside, meaning she was probably still in there. His biggest concern at the moment was the fact that the last two boot prints leading inside were smeared with blood. It could have been the walkers, but he had no way to confirm that without knowing if Carol was still alive. As far as Daryl could make out, there were three possibilities if he opened the door.

One…she wouldn't be there. Two…she would. Three…she might not be his Carol anymore.

Flashbacks of losing her in the tombs invaded his mind, putting the worst possible thoughts into his brain. He'd been lucky that time. He may never be that lucky again in his life. He squatted down, trying to figure out exactly what had happened. There was a small pool of blood just under one of the wheels of the mower, but not enough to have been caused by a large wound. There were some drips down the side of the wall as well, indicating that they'd come from above. As he stood again, he noticed a smear that he hadn't been able to make out before because it too closely resembled the paint on the shed. He was 99% sure this had come from the walker. Carol must've found something to stab it with before she went inside. The biggest question on his mind now was why she'd gone in the shed in the first place. Preparing himself for anything, Daryl aimed the crossbow at the door and called out.

"Carol…answer me woman."

"D-daryl?" He could hear her muffled voice coming from inside.

"You hurt?"

"N-no but the d-d-door's j-jammed. I c-can't get out."

Shoving the walker's body out of the way, he grabbed the door handle, surprised with how little it moved. The hinges seemed to be frozen, but he continued to pull and before long he'd managed to crack it open enough to step inside. It was pitch black and he couldn't even make out where she was. Apparently she hadn't brought her flashlight either.

"Where are ya?"

"D-d-d-down h-here."

He grabbed his light and turned it on; pointing it towards where he'd heard her voice. She was huddled into a tight ball on the floor just inches away from him. Crouching down in front of her, he tried to assess how bad she was.

"What the hell happened?" He searched her face, his hand coming up to her chin.

"I t-thought I'd s-s-s-s-see if th-there w-w-were s-s-sh-shovels." She said, shivering so violently that she could barely get the words out without biting off her tongue. "Th-there a-a-aren't."

"How long you been out here?"

"Ab-bout an ho-o-our o-or s-s-so." She said, her lips chattering wildly. "I'm f-f-freezing."

That was all he needed to hear. Throwing his crossbow over his shoulder, he quickly scooped her up in his arms and lifted her out of the shed, running back to the house as quickly as he could. Contrary to popular belief, he knew it was a lot easier to get hypothermia than most people would believe. For a woman Carol's size, being exposed like that kind of cold for an hour would certainly do it. Add the effects of alcohol into the equation and the odds only got worse.

He ran through the backdoor, getting her over into living room as quickly as he could and setting her down on the cushions directly in front of the fire. Grabbing both blankets, he wrapped them around her shoulders and held them tight, trying to create a barrier of heat. Now that he could see her better, he was even more concerned. She looked half dazed and her face was as white as a sheet. She was still shaking uncontrollably too.

"Fuck…your lips are turnin' blue."

"I'll b-be f-f-fine…" She was trying to downplay it like she always did. "J-j-j-just n-need t-to w-w-w-warm u-up."

"You sure it was only an hour?"

She nodded. "P-p-pretty s-s-sure. I w-was t-trying to c-c-counting the m-mi-minutes to s-stay f-f-f-focused."

"Why?"

"Ph-phobia…rem-member?"

Shit. He'd forgotten that she hated dark enclosed spaces. It must've been a nightmare for her to be in there all that time not knowing if he'd find her. No wonder she hadn't tried harder to get out. She probably couldn't breathe.

"Woke up and found your stuff gone and your knife sitting here and I came and got ya as soon as I figured it out."

"I kn-know you d-did." She was still shaking horribly. "I w-waited bec-cause I kn-new you'd f-find me. Y-you a-a-always do."

Daryl stared at her for a moment, trying to let her words sink in. She trusted him with her life almost to a fault even after what he'd done. Her beautiful eyes were shining back at him with complete faith like she'd never doubted he'd find her for a minute. He'd been a complete ass.

"How're ya feelin' now?"

"C-c-cold."

"Where are you the coldest? What part of your body?"

"E-ev-everywhere."

"Can you feel your fingers and toes?"

She shook her head. "I c-can't f-feel m-much of a-anything anym-more. Everyth-thing hurt wh-when I got c-cold but t-then it a-all went n-n-numb."

"How long ago?"

"D-don't re-remember."

That was it. Daryl knew they couldn't play this off anymore. He'd seen this before and he knew what he had to do…he just hoped she wouldn't hate him for it. Pushing away from her, he reached down and began to remove his boots, followed quickly by his socks. Carol was still sitting in front of him trembling viciously; her eyes widening with every article of clothing he tore off. By the time he got to his pants, her hand shot out, grabbing his forearm in protest.

"W-wh-what a-are y-you d-d-doing?"

"I gotta get you warmed up before your core body temp drops too low." He said matter-of-factly, trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. "We don't got the option of hot beverages and heating pads, so we have to do it the natural way. Body heat."

"B-b-bu-"

"No buts about it." Daryl undid the button on his pants and pulled them down over his boxers before he stripped the covers off her and reached down to remove her boots. This hadn't exactly been what he'd pictured when it came to undressing her in his mind, but there was no time to be thinking like that right now anyhow. Carol was cold and embarrassed and probably scared out of her mind. He needed to reassure her it was gonna be okay.

"I've done this before." His eyes were focused on hers, trying to keep her attention. "Trust me, you're gonna be all right."

She stared back at him, watching silently as he continued his mission. He removed the outer articles as quickly as he could, trying not to jostle her too much. By the time he got to her shirt, he decided that lifting all three layers off at once was the easiest way to get it over with, leaving her stationed in her bra. As he went to undo the buttons on her cargo pants, his eyes silently rose to meet hers, apologizing for what he was about to do. She lifted her backside up to help as his hands guided them gently over her hips and past her legs, trying desperately not to look at what kind of underwear she had on. Reaching around with his arm on the small of her back, he pulled her against his chest as he stretched himself out over the cushions and threw the blankets back on top of them both. He locked his arms and legs around her to try and create a cocoon of warmth around her, but the feel of her cold, clammy skin against his was almost as uncomfortable as the situation.

"Jesus…you really are freezing."

"N-no k-k-kidding Sh-Sherlock."

Daryl could help but chuckle. Even in her own discomfort, Carol was still trying to keep him calm. It was just what she did.

"Yeah well…at least you're still in one piece." He pulled her closer to him. "When I saw that walker, I wasn't sure what kinda condition I was gonna find ya in. How'd ya end up killin' it when you didn't even have your knife?"

"F-found a sh-sharp s-stick." She looked up at him, a smile on her pale face. "Y-you t-taught me to be r-resourceful, re-remember?"

He'd taught her a lot of things over the last few months, and she'd taken well to all of them. Carol never ceased to amaze him with all the things she could do. It was one of the reasons they'd become so close. Knowing that she didn't think of him the way he wanted her to hurt, but it had also taken away all the pressure to impress her. Now he could enjoy their banter for what it really was…friendship.

"That ain't resourceful. S'just dumb luck." He retorted. "You scared the hell outta me when I woke up and couldn't find ya."

"S-s-sorry I w-worried you." She sniffled, her body still convulsing. "Th-th-thank you for ev-everything. I know th-things got w-weird before a-and I n-never w-wanted you to th-think I d-did this to h-hurt you."

Daryl looked down at her. It hadn't even crossed his mind until she said it, but he knew she'd never be that vindictive either. The whole moment had been wiped from his mind the minute she'd gone missing anyway. In the end, none of it mattered as long as she was all right.

"S'far as I'm concerned, you're just a klutz who got herself stuck in a shed. Nothin' more to it."

"So w-we're o-okay t-then?"

He nodded. "Yeah we're okay…but next time you go running off to do somethin' ya shouldn't, at least leave me a fuckin' note first."

She chuckled lightly, although it was hard to tell since she was still shaking. "I will. Pr-promise."

"Good." He smiled, resting his chin on her head. "Think you just used up eight of your nine lives…crazy cat woman."

**A/N: So how much do you love me right now for getting the two of them mostly naked? Now to just clear up that pesky little misunderstanding and we could really have something going on! As always, reviews are welcome and appreciated…aka WRITE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! LLACO;-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello my wonderful readers and friends!**

**I'm soooooooo sorry it's taken me this long to update. I truly hadn't been expecting all of the obstacles I've run into the past week and a half and it just blindsided me. On top of school work and other general stuff, I recently had a death in my family that, while it wasn't completely unexpected, still shocked me at its arrival. During that time I was also writing, but my work was just a tad on the morbid side and I really didn't want to incorporate that into this for obvious reasons, but I DO want to extend a huge hug to everyone in my online community who has helped me through this difficult time…you guys don't know what it means to have your support and I couldn't have gotten through all of it without you!**

**I have been keeping up with the latest episodes of TWD as well of course, and my recap goes as follows…Ep 9 was great in that Chandler and Danai both blew me away…and yes I posted a pic of myself eating chocolate pudding on tumblr afterwards because I'm a dork. Ep 10 was THE RETURN OF MY KING AND QUEEN! (although sadly not in the same place and the same time) but Daryl's face every time Beth started whining made me laugh so freaking hard…especially when instead of apologizing for being a jerk he offered her his handy snot rag as a truce. Then there was Ep 11, which was also good but fairly creepy in the grand scheme of things. Michonne and Carl cracking jokes and talking and smiling made me very happy, but I'm definitely not loving the new crew with Glenn and Tara (although I'm loving all of their stuff right now too…Glenn is hell bent on getting back to Maggie and Tara's growing on me real quick) but we'll have to see how that all turns out. Not sure what to think about the preview for next week yet, but all in all, the entire cast has blown me away so far in this half of the season and I can't wait to see what else they have in store for us!**

**So we are definitely coming close to the end of this story, but I am so happy that people are loving it as much as they are. Once again, I'm sorry that I had to postpone it for a bit, but now it's back and ready to go! Nothing makes a writer happier than knowing people really like what they are doing and I've had nothing but positive comments all the way around on this one. What can I say…you ladies love your Caryl! I just hope I can do it all justice in the end:-) Love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I have been in search for a 112oz can of chocolate pudding at my local grocery stores, but sadly I have yet to find one. I'll just have to make do with Crazy Cheese for now:-)**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

Carol was relieved when her body finally stopped convulsing and her skin began to regain its normal color and feeling again. It was Daryl's quick thinking that had probably saved her from losing a few fingers and possibly succumbing to pneumonia, but she had almost gone into cardiac arrest at the shock of realizing just how he was planning to do it. She watched in utter bewilderment as he proceeded to remove nearly every article of clothing, only to turn around and do the same to her before crushing his body tightly against hers in a ways that made her eternally thankful she had lost the ability to blush. As many times as she'd imagined them lying together naked next to a roaring fire, this _definitely_ wasn't the way she wanted to go about it.

Despite the awkwardness and the misunderstanding from earlier, Daryl had put his issues aside and been there for her when she needed him. It was only further proof in her eyes of just what this man was really capable of. The feeling of being nestled in his arms was one she had wanted to experience for some time, even if the sensations she was feeling at that moment weren't exactly pleasant. She did her best to relax herself, trying to focus on the sound of his breathing and the soothing rhythm of his heart to get through the worst of the shaking, and soon enough she was feeling much warmer and a lot calmer. Unfortunately the moment he was convinced that she would live to see another day; Daryl quickly untangled himself and put his clothes back on before planting himself down feet away from her at the base of the hearth. It was possible that he was still angry with her on some level, but she didn't sense that was the real reason he'd moved away. Maybe he'd figured it would be easier for her if they weren't quite so wrapped up in each other, but it'd hurt nonetheless.

She was still struggling with exactly how to make things right again. Coming out and telling him the truth would only make him angrier because he'd be thinking that she was only saying it to make him feel better even though that couldn't be farther from the truth. In many ways, trying to talk Daryl was like trying to play an advanced round of chess. You needed skill and patience to be able to get very far with it, but once you knew how the rules worked, it was easy to anticipate what he would say or do next. The hardest part was countering his actions so it didn't throw off the game…and sadly, she didn't always win the match.

"Thank you again." She sat up, trying to give her muscles a chance to stretch. "Really…you saved the day."

His face tilted towards her slightly, lit by the glow of the fire. "S'no big deal'."

"It was a big deal to me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be a human popsicle right now."

"You were there for a bit." He chuckled lightly, turning back around to face her. "Was like cozyin' up to an igloo."

"True…but look." She lifted her blanket away from her feet and wiggled her toes. "Nothing fell off. I'd say you did a pretty good job."

To her surprise, Daryl raised his arm up and took one of her feet in his hand, running his thumb back and forth over the sensitive skin. It was a simple gesture but it sent a tingling sensation up her leg that made her whole body suddenly feel like it was on fire. He looked up at her a moment later, his eyes burning into hers with such intensity she forgot to breathe. Then without a sound, he lowered her foot back to the floor again, his hand still lingering for a few precious seconds.

"Still kinda cold but a lot better than they were." He said, looking away again. "Guess I did one thing right today."

Carol's first instinct with a comment like that would've been to scold him for putting himself down, but she'd momentarily lost the ability to talk again. It always seemed to happen at the most inconvenient moments, like when she was trying to tell him how amazing she thought he was. It baffled her at how one single touch from him could affect her whole body and make her want to throw away caution and just lose herself in it. If he kept reaching out to caress her feet liked that, pretty soon she was going to need a new pair of panties.

Before she could think of a witty comment to throw back at him, Daryl stood up and walked over towards the entryway. She watched silently as he picked up one of the boxes that was stacked in a pile by the door and walked it back over to where she sat.

"Brought these up for ya." He said, laying it down in front of her. "Figured it'd keep us outta trouble for a while."

Carol smirked, finally regaining her sense of humor. "What, no more wine?"

"I ain't lettin' ya near that bottle again." He griped, walking back over to get his own box. "God knows where you'll wander off to next."

She rolled her eyes. "Ha. Ha. You're sooo funny."

He threw her one of his patented annoyed look. "Just open the damn box already."

Not wanting to push her luck, Carol secured the blanket around herself before lifting the flaps of the box open and peering inside. Daryl came back over and sat next to her with a box of his own, looking about as eager to open it as a kid being forced to eat his vegetables.

"So what exactly are we looking for again?" She asked, sifting her hands through the articles in the box. Nothing looked particularly exciting in this one.

"Anything that can help us out." He peeked inside, but his expression didn't get any better. "Maybe some tools if we can find 'em. Left most of mine back at the prison to make room for supplies. Not sure what I'm gonna need to fix the bike."

"Tools…got it."

"We don't gotta lot of room in the saddlebags, so we gotta limit what we take." He sighed, holding up a crocheted doily. "This for instance, ain't gonna help _nothin'_."

"Oh I don't know about that." Carol took the doily out of his hands to inspect. "It would make a lovely seat cover for the bike…or it could be a new type of handkerchief-"

"Gimme that." He grabbed it back out of her hands, throwing her one of his patented scowls. "You officially lost your mind out in that shed." He shook his head. "A seat cover…"

Carol tried to hold back her giggles but it was pretty comical. Even Daryl managed a small chuckle before throwing the article across the room and digging back into the box. After a few more minutes, it was clear that they were full of mementos that probably meant plenty to someone else, but held nothing of significant value to them, so they pushed them aside and Daryl got the other two still sitting by the door. He pushed one over with his foot for her and got the other one for himself before settling back down again. From the minute he opened his box, there was an audible gasp out of his mouth. She looked over, intrigued.

"What is it?"

"If I didn't know better…I'd say someone stole this outta my old room." He pushed the flaps aside, taking in the scene in front of him. "Ain't of much use to me now but damn it brings back some memories."

"Let me see." Carol scooted closer to take a look, but found herself puzzled at what her eyes took in. Apparently it was an acquired taste. "It looks like a bunch of CD's and some old flannel shirts."

"I know." He pulled out some of the discs to thumb through. "Nirvana…Alice in Chains…Soundgarden..." His pulled out a pair of old worn combat boots. "This is fuckin' epic. Makes me feel like a damn teenager again. This was the kinda stuff I used to thrive on."

"Really?" Her eyebrows flew up in surprise. "I never took you for a grunge kid."

"Hell yeah." He grinned. "My old man hated it…he and Merle were into classic rock but I always loved the harder stuff. When he'd go out on benders I'd put these albums on and blast them as loud as I could."

"I'm surprised you didn't have your neighbors calling the cops on you."

He spat. "They were a bunch of old farts who couldn't hear anyhow. I coulda set off firecrackers in their yard and they never woulda known."

Carol laughed. "Now why do I get the feeling that you actually tried that?"

His smirk told her it was probably true. "I'm tellin' ya…I used to live for this stuff. Felt like they were talkin' directly to me. Like someone else out there finally understood." He turned to her, his face full of euphoria. "In my whole life, it was the only time I ever really got to just be myself…to feel good 'bout something."

Carol could see the sentiment in his eyes as he took in the memories he'd probably lost so long ago, and her heart broke at the realization that this was all he'd probably had in the world that had made him feel like he had some self-worth. At least she'd had moments in her life that had filled her with joy, despite the hard times. With Daryl, however, it was different. He'd never had anything worth wanting. The simplest things in the world had been his only comfort.

"I'm glad at least you had that to get you through the tough times."

He shrugged. "Wasn't all bad though. Still had some good times too."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Daryl leaned back, his mind focused on another lifetime. "Used to have some good friends back then too. We'd get in all kinds o' trouble together, but they could never get us on anything concrete. We were sneaky."

"I'll bet you were." Carol leaned back as well after making sure the blankets were still secured. "So you were a sneaky grunge bandit…there anything else I don't know about you?"

"Nothin' else worth knowin' really."

"What about a girlfiend? I'm sure you've had your share of them too."

"Nah, not really." Daryl brushed it off like it was nothing. "Didn't have time for girls back then. Sure as hell don't now."

"What was you first kiss like?"

"Can't say I remember it real well. I was pretty drunk at the time."

"How old were you?"

His face scrunched up. "Bout thirteen. It was with the neighbor girl. She was a lil' older than me and she said she wanted to practice french kissin' on someone so she could get good at it for when the boys started askin' her out. I volunteered."

Carol's eyes widened. "Your first kiss was with tongue?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't as much fun as I wanted it to be." He made a face. "She kinda slobbered all over me and then threw up on my shoes from what I remember."

"Oh no." Carol's hands flew up to her face to try and hide the giggles. "God I would have died if someone had done that to me."

"What was your first kiss like?"

She rolled her eyes. Of course he'd ask. "It was plain and boring really. It was with this boy I was in class with. He kissed me as we were walking home after school one day."

"How old were ya?"

She blushed. "Seventeen. I was a pretty late bloomer…boys really weren't interested in me."

"Now I know that's bullshit." He said; his tone almost serious. "They were. Just didn't know how to approach ya. You ain't the kinda girl a guy takes behind the bleachers at half time."

"Sounds like you had some practice with that as well."

"Maybe…"

Carol decided to go in for the kill. "Besides…you didn't know me back then. For all you know, I really _was_ that kind of girl."

"Yeah right…"

She smirked. "I did actually have a thing for bad boys. Just something about them really got me going."

Daryl looked like he was gonna choke on his teeth. "Bad boys? You?"

"Ed was sort of a bad boy at first." She admitted, trying to focus her attention on anything but Daryl's face. She could already feel him staring at her. "Of course, I didn't know just _how_ bad at that point, but that was kind of the thing that drew me in initially. He wasn't like any of the other boys I'd dated before."

"When'd you know he was the one?"

She sighed, her happy memory beginning to fade. "I don't know that I ever really did. We just went together for so long and he became so possessive of me that I just never considered another option. I was too consumed in trying to make him happy…it never occurred to me that I didn't actually love him."

Daryl continued to stare at her, but he was silent at her response. It must have been difficult for him to hear that she'd put up with the abuse for so long only to admit to him that she never loved her abuser. He was probably wondering if his mother had been in the same position. In many ways, Carol got the impression that she reminded Daryl of his mother…a woman with the potential to do so much more and yet too scared to venture out on her own and take the chance of being alone. God only knew what would have become of her if things had been different. Carol couldn't even picture her life with Ed anymore, but if everything hadn't changed so drastically she might just as well be in the same spot she'd been in before. She'd truly gotten a second chance in the midst of a world gone to hell, and suddenly felt desperately sad for the woman who never got that moment to prove to herself she was worth the risk.

"Even if I never truly loved Ed, he still gave me Sophia." She said, trying to ease the pain of her words. "She was my one ray of light in the darkness. I'll never know that kind of unconditional love again but I'm glad I had it for the time I did. It was the purest thing in my life."

"That little girl loved you more than anything." Daryl said, his voice sure and steady. "And you loved her. Everyone could see it. Even a stubborn redneck like me."

Carol had no idea what possessed her, but she heard herself saying the words anyway. "I know you regret not being able to find her and save her Daryl, but you have to know that I never blamed you for any of it. She wouldn't want you to either."

"I know."

"It's the same with Merle too." She continued, her eyes focusing on the profile of his face. "He did what he had to so that we could have a chance at living. He couldn't stand the thought of losing you either. It was his most selfless gift and he did it all for you."

He stayed silent for a moment; his arms now wrapped around his legs as he sat pondering her reply. Eventually, he looked back over at her, his face still a mask. "I knew what was gonna happen. Chances of me findin' him alive were bad from the start. Thought I could catch lightning in a bottle twice, but I shoulda known better. My odds've never been good."

Carol stared back, her mind trying to relive the events during that time. "Lightning in a bottle? What do you mean?"

When his eyes finally met hers, they were filled with sincerity. "The day I found ya in the tombs…I'd spent all day preparin' myself for what I was gonna have to do, but then by some miracle you were all right. By the time I got to Merle, it was too late, but in the end I knew it would be cause I already got the one thing I'd been hopin' for."

Carol's breath caught in her throat. His words were so honest and heartfelt that they nearly brought her to tears. After everything they had been through together in the last year, let alone the last 24 hours, his only concern was for her safety. He'd always put her first, and she had never understood it because he had no reason to. Now she truly realized the depths to which he cared…out of all the people that died that day, Daryl had taken her loss the hardest and he hadn't let her forget it since. They were connected on a level that didn't even need words most of the time. She could sense what he was going to do and she knew he could do the same with her. It was the purest, most genuine kind of love she had ever felt in her entire life, and even though he wouldn't admit it, she knew he felt the same. She had to make him see what it meant to her…it couldn't be put off any longer.

Refusing to let herself back down this time, Carol lifted herself up onto her knees and moved over until she was sitting right in front of him. His hands came loose around he as she pushed herself up in between his legs; raising up her hand to brush the dark fringe of hair out of his face so she could look in his eyes. He was getting ready to question her actions, but before he could get the words out, she brushed her lips gently across the corner of his mouth. Daryl's throat hitched at her action, but he didn't move away either, and she felt his arms tighten ever so slowly around her waist like he was trying to fight his urge to bring her closer. Carol stayed in close contact, gently prodding his nose with hers; the feeling of his breath hot against her skin heightening all of her senses. He needed to know exactly what this was.

"When you asked me before which one of you I would choose...who I would want beside me when things got rough…I froze because I couldn't believe that you would ever question it. I've never had a bond like this with anyone before Daryl. There's no one I would ever want by my side other than you." She closed her eyes, her mind trying desperately to focus on what she needed to say. "There was never another choice for me…it will always be you in every capacity. I will always want you."

She couldn't view his reaction, but she knew that he still hadn't pulled away. There was still hope. "But what you said…I thought you were tryin' to make Rick jealous."

"Rick's been the one nudging me to say something to you. He knows how we both feel about each other and he wanted one of us to make a move." She opened her eyes again, coming in direct contact with his steely gaze. "This is me making a move."

Daryl stared back her as the heat between them continued to build with such intensity that she thought she might just pass out from it. His eyes finally left hers and flicked down to her mouth, but still made no advances towards closing the small gap of distance between them. She saw his tongue dart and moisten his perfect lips, making her stomach do flip flops in anticipation of what could finally happen. His hands came up to her waist solidly while his legs trapped her frame between them. She drew his eyes back up to hers, but this time there was no hesitation. He was finally ready. It was the confirmation he'd been waiting for.

"Okay."

**A/N: **flailing** Oh I'm SOOOOOO glad to finally get this out for people to see! I just hope it lived up to the wait! I'm working on 8 now and there will probably be another one to follow wrapping it all up but keep in mind I have a decent amount of stuff on my plate , so while I'd love to say the next chapter will be out tomorrow, I can't even guarantee this weekend. As much as I'd love to drown you all with my smut in a timely manner (hehe), please understand that I'm doing my best to get this out to you as quickly as possible and I appreciate the patience:-) **

**In the meantime, please check out the music video (YES I SAID MUSIC VIDEO) that accompanies my story, which was made by the wonderful and talented Amy (aka ****adelicateflower08****) and is available to watch on YouTube. It's amazing and it totally made me cry because she is brilliant and I secretly wish I had her mad skills when it comes to editing lol. Don't forget to subscribe to her page as well if you haven't already cause she's so close to 1000 followers it isn't even funny! Okay guys that's all for now. LLACO!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello lovely readers!**

**So call it a stroke of luck or maybe just a Daryl Dixon overload, but after watching yesterday's episode of the show I was suddenly struck with the notion of exactly how I wanted to do this chapter. Granted, I had already written half of it, but after seeing what they did with the characters last night, I decided to change it up a bit. For one thing, this entire chapter is now ****entirely**** from Daryl's point of view when originally it was supposed to be a split POV. I started thinking about it, and it's very rare to see a smut chapter written from a man's perspective...plus I also feel that I know Daryl well enough now in my head that I could still portray this and have it be convincing. I tested it out on my trial audience *aka Alli and Caz* and they both seemed to be in agreement that it worked out well, so I'm hoping everyone else likes it as much as they did. **

**As for the doubters of what's going to happen on the show next, I have to say this…we all know that anything can and will happen on this show, but when it comes down to it, there's always something to be learned from these characters and how they deal with things. Last night's episode was a perfect example of this, where we saw two people breaking down the barriers they'd tried so hard to build up over the years only to come out stronger and surer on the other side. This needed to happen and I'm so glad it finally did, but there is also no reason to doubt the direction of the show because of it. If you are a Caryler (and I assume most of you are) then keep the faith. What happened between Daryl and Beth was necessary for them both to be able to get over their grief and continue to live. In most ways, it was no different than what Michonne, Carl, Maggie, and Glenn are going through. They just happened to go through it together. I think that they both needed to spell out the cold hard truth to each other in the end because in many ways they were both so closed off that neither of them could've managed to do that for themselves. It's a healing process, and I know a little something about that right now because I'm pretty much going through the same thing. It's okay to ask for help, but sometimes it just seems impossible. In the end, the reality of the situation always comes out in one form or another…sometimes it just takes some nudging.**

**I have to dedicate this chapter to my wonderful, beautiful and optimistic friend Amy, who truly restored my faith today with her post on tumblr about the episode. I had been seeing nothing but hate and doubt all morning and it was really getting under my skin because I TRULY believe that things will work out for our king and queen in the end, but it only takes one message of doubt to get everyone riled up about it. It is because of Amy that I am posting this chapter today…she's waited long enough to see her idea come to life and she deserves it!**

**So everyone stop hating on our show and enjoy some honest and truthful love. It will make your week a lot easier to bear if you just keep the faith! (Yes Alli I'm talking to you!)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with The Walking Dead. I do, however, own my thoughts and I think this chapter is totally plausible!**

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

It was a dream…it had to be.

Daryl was thoroughly convinced that he'd fallen asleep on the couch and never woken up. There was no way that Carol was really sitting there; nestled in between his legs, telling him she wanted him. At the same time, he wasn't exactly eager to wake up if it was a dream either. This was the closest he'd been to something he'd desperately wanted in years. Even when his brain tried to tell him that it was too good to be true, he could look in her eyes and see that she wasn't messing around. She wanted this. In that moment, there was only one way he could think to respond.

"Okay."

Carol didn't move, but she didn't look any less willing either. She was probably waiting for him to make the next move, and damn if he didn't want to. Their lips were a fraction of an inch apart and he could smell her floral fragrance as it filled his head with a dizzying response. His mouth still tingling from where she'd placed her lips just moments before, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to lean forward and close the gap between them. There was something holding him back.

_You're scared…scared you can't give her what she wants._

It was the thing he'd always feared when it came to women, and it was the number one reason he'd never let any of them get close to him. All of his flings in the past had been just that…flings. He was great with quickies in the backseat of a car, or holed up in a motel room for a couple of hours, but then once the fun was over he would move on. There was no romance involved, no snuggling, and sure as hell no commitments. Carol wasn't like that. He couldn't just fuck her and move on. This was something entirely new to him. He cared more about her than he'd ever cared about anyone before. If he took this step, it would change everything.

Carol seemed to be sensing his unease about the situation and backed away slightly; her face trying not to show the hurt she was probably feeling. He couldn't let this go on the way it was. The cycle had to end.

"I want to…" He said finally, his eyes searching hers. "I just…I wanna make sure s'what you really want. You sure ya ain't tryin' to make Rick jealous?"

Carol shook her head, her face mimicking her frustration. "Daryl, I have never been interested in Rick. You just let yourself think I am because it seems impossible to you to think that someone might actually choose you over him." She sighed. "I think of Rick like…like a brother."

Daryl wouldn't come out and admit it, but it was definitely a good sign in his book. Unfortunately, his brain continued to make him think that it was still a trick. "Ya sure ye ain't just feelin' romantic from the wine and the fire and all? Coulda been anyone here and you'd wanna have body contact just for the sake of bein' able to."

Carol's eyes flew open and she raised her hand up, bringing it back down against his arm with a loud slap. Daryl cringed and rubbed the spot she'd hit him.

"Daryl Dixon, you take that back right now! I have never tried to seduce someone for the sake of getting laid!"

"Didn't say you had!"

"You just insinuated that I only want to have sex with you because I'm drunk and horny and you're the only one around!"

He cringed. "Well…ain't it kinda true?"

He said it quietly, but he knew she'd heard him. She looked like she might just hit him again, but even as he braced himself, he was surprised when the blow never came. She looked back at him, her face twisted in apprehension.

"Kind of…but that's not why I'm doing this!" She came a little bit closer again. "Daryl…I didn't plan this if that's what you're thinking. I didn't try to get you alone so that we could have some kind of romantic moment, and I certainly didn't try to get myself stuck in that shed so that you would come and save me. I hope you would know me well enough to know that I would never risk my life just to get your attention."

Daryl hadn't really had time to consider any of those options before, but even if he had he would've immediately thrown them out. She was right. There was no way he'd ever believe that she'd done any of this to get his attention. Carol was too busy trying to take care of everyone else to ever be selfish enough to do something so stupid. Why shouldn't he believe her when she told him that she was being serious? She'd never given him any reason to doubt it before. The idea of it all just seemed too crazy for words.

"I know." He replied with a heavy sigh. "And I'm sorry. I don't wanna doubt you."

"Then stop it." She was staring back at him, her expression softening. "Stop letting your head convince you that you don't deserve what you want."

"Don't know how." He finally admitted, looking up at her. "Never been any good at this."

Carol slowly crawled over to him again, settling back where she had been. Her hands came up to his face, caressing his cheek. "Just…feel it. Be in the moment."

As he stared back into her eyes, he could feel his body start to relax again. She brought her forehead up against his and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. He did the same; his heart hammering in his chest as their noses bumped against each other and her cheek came into contact with his. It was like she was trying to get him acclimated to the whole thing before they went any further, but when he finally felt her lips brush against his, a jolt of electricity shot through his whole body that make him feel like he was going to catch on fire. She teased his mouth with hers, applying pressure but then pulling away a second later in an agonizing way that made him think she was trying to torture him for saying what he had. His hands were in fists by his side as he tried harder to keep control of himself, but when her tongue slipped out ever so gently and ran across his bottom lip, he became completely undone.

Suddenly his hands were grasping her face, pulling her in so that he could finally kiss her the way he'd always wanted to. Their lips crushed together and Carol let out a muffled exclamation, her hands grasping his biceps like she was afraid she'd fall over without their support. He continued his assault on her beautiful swollen lips, his tongue swirling around hers for good measure. Suddenly, he heard a deep moan escape from her throat that told him he was doing a much better job than he had his first time around.

Carol was now planted firmly between his legs again; her body smashes up against him in the best way possible. Daryl's pants were getting far too tight and she was wearing nothing but a few skimpy undergarments that were seconds away from being revealed as the blanket around her shoulders began to slip down to the floor. He had no idea what'd even possessed him to move away from her earlier and put his clothes back on…if he'd have known it was going to lead to this, he never would've bothered.

Her mind seemed to be focusing in on his again because in that moment, she pulled her mouth away and went to reach for the hem of his wife beater, yanking it straight up and over his head. She quickly reached for the buckle on his belt next as he dove back in, this time his lips landing on the soft curve of her neck as he nibbled and licked the delicate skin there. Carol moaned again, her one hand landing in his hair and pulling him back up to her mouth again. On the first opportunity he got he rolled himself over, bringing her along so that she was now lying underneath him with her legs accommodating the space for his hips. He pulled himself back to her neck and collarbone, taking his time to truly savor the pleasure he got from hearing her whisper his name under her breath. His lips travelled down to the cleavage of her breasts as he reached around to free the beautiful flesh from its confinements and slipped it off her body. He didn't even give her a chance to react as his mouth latched onto one of the perfect orbs, suckling her greedily. His teeth clamped onto her nipple and he heard her gasp in pleasure.

"Oh my god Daryl!"

He moved onto the other breast, giving it just as much love and attention as the first before he moved down to the planes of her stomach and further until he reached his true destination. It was the moment he'd been waiting on for so long. He looked back up at her for permission, his breathing ragged and his erection pressing painfully against him. She looked back and nodded, her hands reaching down to guide his as he slipped the last garment off of her body and tossed it onto the floor.

Holy fuck…she was beautiful. It had been too long since he'd been with a woman, but even now he couldn't help but think that she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. This moment with her would be the most important of his life, and he needed to show her how he felt and he needed to make it count. She closed her eyes and rolled her head back onto the floor as his fingers teased the sensitive nub at her center, making her moan like he'd always dreamed about. Hell, this was better than any dream he'd ever had about her hands down. He slipped a finger in her core and could immediately tell she was ready for him. He heard her gasp as he rolled the nub between his fingers, making her body arch up off the ground. It was the sexiest thing he had ever seen in his life.

"Jesus. You keep this up and I'm not gonna make it to the big show."

"Daryl…god please…" She moaned, her eyes full of lust. "Please…I need you right now…"

As much as he wanted to argue with her about it, he knew they were both getting close. She sat up and began to tug down his pants, bringing his boxers down in the process. The minute he was free of the garments he breathed a sigh of relief, but Carol's hand closed around his erection and he nearly fell over from the impact. It had been far too long since he had done this and the chances of it lasting long were slim to nil. He'd wanted this to be more than just a quickie for her, but if she didn't release him it'd be over before she knew what hit her. Suddenly, something else dawned on him that made him wonder if this hadn't all been a waste of time in the first place.

"Shit…I don't got protection on me."

"It's okay." She said with a slight sadness on her face. "I can't get pregnant. I needed a partial hysterectomy after Sophia was born."

Daryl wanted to bite his tongue for even having to bring up something so painful from her past in that moment, but he wasn't gonna let her dwell on it either. He nodded silently before grabbing her arm and gently guiding her back down onto the cushions below him. The sadness he'd just witnessed was quickly ebbing away and he leaned down to kiss her for added measure before he brought himself more flush against her, his groin coming into direct contact with hers. They both let out a groan at the same time and Daryl brought himself up on one arm while the other nudged her legs further apart so he could finally bring them together the way he'd been dying to. He slid into her gently, taking the time to let her adjust before moving so that he didn't hurt her. They both stayed extremely still for a moment as he waited for her to give the green light to move. Her eyes were watery but she brought her hand up to his face again as if to assure him that it wasn't from him hurting her. Part of him wasn't keen to believe it anyway, but when she ground her pelvis against his a moment later he completely lost all train of thought.

"Move Daryl…please….it's okay."

He looked back into her eyes again, this time seeing nothing but resolve. Knowing the moment was finally right; he took action and moved against her, amazed at how quickly his body remembered the steps. Her body moved against his as well and they created a rhythm that was perfect and amazing. It was unlike anything Daryl had ever felt with a woman before and it made his whole body feel electrified. Carol seemed to be having the same reaction as they picked up the pace and her moans became increasingly louder. Daryl's breath was nearly at a runner's pace and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, but when the moment finally arrived he was ready for it. Reaching down between their bodies, he once again rolled the sensitive mound between his fingers and felt Carol cry out as her body began to spasm around his, helping release his moment as well. They both came crashing back down to earth as they collapsed in a heap of limbs, trying desperately to catch their breath. Daryl rolled over onto his side so that he wouldn't crush her, but the feeling of being apart from her wasn't as satisfying as he'd always found it to be in the past.

"Holy hell woman…." He panted, looking over at her flushed face lying next to him. "I think you damn near broke me."

Carol let out a laugh like he hadn't heard in ages and brought her hand up to her chest. "I'm in the exact same boat. I feel like I just ran a marathon. That was amazing."

"Amazing huh?" He rolled over onto his side so he could look at her better. "I've been told him good in bed, but don't think I ever got an amazing outta the deal."

"Really?" Carol mimicked his motion. "That's a damn shame because it's true. You are amazing. In more ways than one."

"Ya think so?"

"I wouldn't say it if it weren't true."

Daryl stared at her, his eyes taking in every little detail it could latch onto. As far as he was concerned, they could stay in this cabin for the rest of their lives and he'd be content to grow into an old man as long as he could keep looking at her like this. It was something he'd never get tired of.

"Well you're pretty damn amazing yourself." He said back, his hand reaching up to touch her cheek. "In fact, I'd say you trumped me on that scale."

"You think so?"

He nodded. "You had the guts to do what I didn't, so yeah I'd say you trumped me good."

Carol stared back, her blue eyes boring into his. "How about we say we're even?"

Even. It was something he'd never considered before. He'd always put her up on a pedestal in a way, letting himself think that she was too good for him and that he wasn't worthy of having someone as decent and kind as her in his life. All of a sudden, here she was telling him that they were good enough for each other. It was something he'd have to get used to for sure, but he was willing to give it a shot.

"All right. I can live with that." He said, moving his body in a little closer as he reached for a blanket to cover them both with. "But once we get some more sleep, I'm gonna _prove_ to you just how amazing we can both be."

**A/N: EEEEEE! It could be the fact that I finished writing this at 2am, but I think this is maybe some of my best smut yet! Hope you all enjoyed it…like I said, there may be some more to come but you're gonna have to wait to find out! LLACO!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello wonderful people! **

**I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this last chapter going…I could give you every excuse under the sun as to why I haven't updated but I'm sure you really don't want to hear it. Just know that I'm doing all right but I'm also overloaded with other stuff (and thangs) and it's probably not going to get any better anytime soon. I don't think I've been on Tumblr for more than 20 minutes in the past two weeks, so you know it's hectic!**

**That being said, this is going to be the last chapter for the story, and I'm probably not going to have time to start anything else in the near future. I'd always planned to end the story after this point anyway so it's not like I'm abandoning it, but honestly I'm just getting burnt out on writing in general. I'm one of those people who has to switch around with her artistic venues from time to time because otherwise it just becomes too much. I haven't been doing anything BUT writing for close to 9 months now, so it's definitely time to give the fingers a rest for a bit. I'll still be checking in on people of course and keeping up with the show. I've actually kind of become an editor of sorts as well because apparently I give good criticism (or so I'm told hehe) so I've been trying to help out other fanfic writers with improving their own stories and theories in general. My good buddies ****Allidon**** and ****Equuleus86**** have been keeping me busy going over their masterpieces, so I highly suggest checking out their work. **

**As for the show, I know a lot of people have become skeptical with where it's headed and what they're doing with the characters. While I only know what I've been told (and let's face it, I think most of us have heard what's going to happen on this week's episode) I think—amazingly—my general theory about what transpires between Lizzie and Carol is actually going to happen. I honestly had no idea that I was on the right track…I don't know any other writers or actors, I have no inside information being flung my way, I promise. Truthfully, I just analyze things to death and this was the one theory that came to me and made sense in my head. I'm thrilled that I was on the right track but it so rarely happens to me that I'm sort of in shock about it. I don't know what this means as a whole for the story either, but I'm glad that Carol will finally be able to put the past behind her and move on. I hope Daryl can do the same because I'm now currently worried about him and what being with that band of guys might do to his mental stability. I also heard a really interesting theory about Bob and although I can't confirm anything, am secretly hoping it's true. If you want more info about that, PM me and I'll fill you in. For now, let's get back to this story shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with The Walking Dead. **

**WDWDWDWDWDWDWDWD**

By the time the light of dawn finally broke through the dusty window panes of the living room, the fire was down to flickering embers. The snow had stopped hours before and was probably beginning to melt as the sun crept up further into the sky, but neither one of them made any attempt to get up from their spot on the floor. The room was getting a little drafty, but it just gave Carol more of an excuse to snuggle up closer to Daryl, who was busy drawing lazy circles on her back with his hand as they lay wrapped together under the blankets. She could see his eyes peeking out at her from underneath his shaggy hair, staring over at her with the same look he'd given her the day before. There was no need to ask what he was thinking because she knew exactly what it meant. In fact, she was having the same thoughts herself.

"Where are the peanuts?"

Daryl quickly reached over her head and picked up the jar, placing it down in between them. Carol propped herself up on one elbow and shuffled some of the contents into her hand, placing a few delicately into Daryl's mouth before tossing the rest into her own. They'd pretty much eaten most of the jar by now, so they needed to conserve what was left. Carol had forgotten how much sex worked up an appetite, but she was about as content as she had ever been in that very moment. The events of the previous night still danced around wildly in her head, and she found herself grinning at Daryl's attempt to stretch out, only succeeding in dragging the blankets further down his waistline and threatening to bare his glorious ass to her once again. At this point, it might be the last time she got to see it for a while because once they got back to the prison she knew he would be back to his usual cautious self. She coyly brought her hand up to the edge of the fabric, trying to help it along its way.

"Wha' the hell ya think you're doin?"

"Nothing." The grin immediately vanished as she tried to play coy. "The blanket was slipping."

"Yeah an you were tryin' to help it right along there weren't ya?" He mocked her; his features teasing her sexily. "My backside ain't gonna be layin' out on display."

"But it's so perfect!" She pouted. "You officially have one of the most gorgeous asses of anyone on the planet now. I think you should definitely parade it around."

"Not gonna happen. I ain't a nudist."

"Oh come on…" She inched the blanket slowly down her chest teasingly. "Show me yours and I'll show you mine."

Daryl tried to play it off, but she saw his eyes widen when she slid it down further, the tips of her nipples daring to peek out. She had quickly learned that Daryl had a thing for boobs and his appreciation for them had become very apparent last night during his exploration of her body. Even afterwards, he'd wrapped himself around her torso and laid his head on her chest, nuzzling the flesh like a baby trying to learn how to suckle. It was incredibly empowering to know that with just one slip of her hand, she could command his attention wholeheartedly and be ravaged like a queen. The whole thing was exhilarating.

"Jesus woman…you tryin' ta kill me?"

"Yes." She leaned in to kiss his nose. "Slowly and painfully."

He winked. "Knew it."

"Well you're on to me now." She pulled the blanket back up, securing it around her. "Guess my fun is over."

"Doesn't have ta be." His arms snaked out and wrapped around her waist. "May've stopped snowin', but that don't mean the roads'll be clear for hours. Could be stuck here another day."

Carol was honestly surprised that he was still playing along with her rouse. She'd figured that maybe now that they'd both gotten rid of some tension, he'd go right back to ignoring her attempts to flirt with him. This was a pleasant surprise.

"That's really a shame…" She said, pulling herself closer to him. "What do you think we should do with ourselves in the meantime?"

His head descended; lips brushing against hers. "Guess we'll have ta think of somethin'."

"Yes…I think we will…."

The kiss was slow and deliberate as Daryl took his time nibbling at her mouth. She'd immediately picked up on what a great kisser he was. Apparently all of that practice from when he was younger had really paid off. She molded her body against his, feeling the hard lean muscle pressing against her flesh in all the right places. After a few minutes he pulled away, causing Carol to let out a resounding groan of protest.

"That's it?" She said, not able to stop the words from flying out of her mouth.

Daryl threw her a look. "Disappointed eh?"

"I guess I was expecting something a little more…gratifying."

"Mmmm…" He let out a small chuckle. "Ain't so much fun to be teased now is it?"

Of course…she should've known. In truth, it was only fair that he should be able to affect her as much as she affected him, but getting her all worked up for nothing was just plain cruel. Of course, his eyes were definitely telling her that he was feeling it right back, even if he was trying to restrain himself.

"No, you're right." She replied, feeling remorseful. "I'm sorry. I should know better than to do that to you. You don't deserve it."

"S'all right." Now he looked a little guilty too. "Shouldn'ta done it back. Not after all ya went through with Ed. Must think I'm a total dick."

Carol's eyebrows knitted together. "Not in a million years…god Daryl this is _nothing_ like it was with Ed. He was cruel for the sake of wanting to punish me. I knew you were joking. Don't even attempt to compare yourself to him. You are twice the man he was."

Daryl stared back at her, his reaction slightly stunned. "I just never…done this kinda thing before. The relationship thing…it ain't really me."

"That doesn't mean you're not capable of it." She soothed. "You've just never given yourself the chance to find out."

"Learned all my moves from Merle, and he sure as hell wasn't boyfriend material." He said dryly. "S'not that I can't…just that I don't know where to start."

Carol knew she would be put to the test when it came to getting Daryl to realize just how wonderful and special she really thought he was. She'd been slowly trying to implant the notion into his head over the past few months, showing him with small gestures like a kiss on the cheek or a squeeze of her hand, but he was stubborn and set in his ways. He'd completely convinced himself that he was incapable of handling a normal romantic relationship, and yet she couldn't help but think back to the previous night and how attentive he had been towards her, always asking permission before going further. Ed had never asked permission the entire time she'd been with him…he'd only taken what he wanted and discarded the rest. Daryl's actions alone were enough to make Carol feel like she was the luckiest woman in the world.

"Well you're doing a pretty good job so far." She brushed some of the hair out of his face so she could see him better. "This isn't a race to the finish line. It takes a while to learn what the other person likes and responds to best. Over time it gets easier to anticipate things, but I know that you'd never do anything to hurt me. I need you to know that I would never intentionally hurt you either, but if I do something that upsets you I need you to tell me. You can't just go running off to brood and leave me waiting there to wonder if you're ever going to come back."

His expression faltered as she could see his true guilt coming through. Running away was Daryl's way of dealing with things he didn't want to face, but if they were really going to give this a go, he knew he'd have to stop doing it. It wasn't that was Carol expecting him to pour his heart and soul out to her every time he had an issue, but they had to at least both be present in order to work through it.

"I get it." He said quietly, meeting her gaze solidly. "M'sorry if I made ya worry."

"Well I'm sorry I made you worry when I was out in the shed."

"Okay…" He sighed. "So we're both sorry. Now what?"

Carol couldn't help but grin. "Now we make up."

Daryl still looked confused, but when Carol brought her lips back up to his and ran her tongue running across his bottom lip, he got the picture quickly. The look on his face suddenly turned from confusion to utter determination as he pulled away for a moment to look at her with permission before once again diving back in. His mouth was searing hers as the kissing went from mild to intense in just a few seconds. There was nothing teasing about this…he meant business. Their tongues clashed together wildly as he ravaged her body with his hands, unable to keep them still.

Eventually his mouth pulled away from hers and began its trail down her body; leaving wet kisses down her neck and collar bone and then down to her chest where he worshipped her breasts with such enthusiasm she thought she might come right then and there. Carol was trying desperately to keep control as his mouth made its way down her stomach to her now open legs, which were welcoming him generously. He peppered a trail of kisses along her inner thighs before finally settling in the place she'd longed to feel him most. When his tongue brushed up against her, it elicited a guttural moan deep from within her body. Carol rocked against him hard as her heart rate continued to climb higher and higher. Her body was on fire but this time it was anything but painful…no man had ever made her feel so amazing before in all her life. She continued to spiral up, her mind a jumble of emotions until finally she reached her peak and nearly lost consciousness from the effect. Her body began to spasm and she saw stars as her body succumbed to the immense pleasure. A moment later Daryl's face appeared above her once again; his eyes searing with heat.

"Oh my god…I didn't even think…that was…"

Before she could even get a coherent word out, Daryl's mouth was back on her own, attacking her lips with such force that she was sure they would bruise. His erection was rock hard throbbing against her leg and she knew he had to be in terrible pain from it all. Rolling him over so that he was now underneath her, she carefully pushed herself up so that she was on top of him with her legs straddling his. The look on his face was enough to make her wish that they could never leave this house ever again.

"Let's take care of this, shall we?"

"Oh fuck…"

Her hand grasped the large member and glided up the smooth shaft slowly, watching his face for approval. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that Daryl was enjoying every minute of it, but she was surprised when his hand shot out to grab her arm, stopping her motion. He looked up at her, his face full of want.

"It's my turn to make a move, and I want ya on top this time."

His request was something she'd always wanted to try, but Ed had never let her. He liked to be in charge too much. The idea of being that in control of the moment sent new waves of pleasure through her body, and she nodded, waiting for him to release her arm again. When he did, she guided him right to her entrance; both of them moaning in unison as he filled her completely. It was pure bliss.

Daryl stayed completely still, letting her decide when she was ready. The movements were jerky at first but she quickly found a rhythm that worked and the sounds of their moans filled the air as he brought his hands up to her breasts again, kneading them the way she loved. Their breathing escalated as they both continued to ascend to new levels of chaos. Daryl reached his climax first, spilling into her as his arms clamped around her hips and helped release hers as well just a moment later. She spiraled back down to reality and into his arms as they both tried desperately to catch their breath.

"Holy hell…."

"Wow." Carol struggled to get the words out. "I'd heard that make-up sex was amazing, but I had NO idea it could be like that."

"Guessin' it's somethin' new to us both then."

"Pretty much." She chuckled, kissing his cheek. "If I'd have known what I was missing out on that night on the bus, I would've made my point a long time ago."

Daryl looked confused again. "Night on the bus?"

She smiled. "Remenber our first night at the prison when I brought you food and asked if you wanted to screw around? I wasn't kidding when I said that…I _really _wasn't kidding when I said it was better that you go down first. Thank god you finally caught on."

All the confusion flew out of his features as he looked at her, a wide grin plastered on his face as he laughed so hard it shook them both. She had never seen him so joyful in all of the time he knew her and it was absolutely music to her ears.

"Damn…I'm pretty dense sometimes…" He said finally. "Guess you finally got through though."

"Guess I did." She laughed with him. "So what do you think now? Wanna give the relationship thing a go?"

"Definitely." He looked over at her with the warmest smile, melting her heart. "I ain't gonna go runnin' off again after that. You're stuck with me now."

WDWDWDWDWDWDWD

A few hours later when both she and Daryl had recovered from their second romp in the sheets and fought off most of the effects of their hangovers, Carol managed to get them both up and moving again to prepare for the trip back to the prison. Nothing of true significance was found in the boxes from the cellar so they decided to leave them all behind, figuring that maybe someone else might stumble upon the spot and want to explore on their own. Carol took the jar from the peanuts along as a symbol of their first night together, figuring that the wine bottle would tip everyone off to what had transpired. Daryl had finished off the last of the jar earlier in the day, bringing his fingers up to his mouth to lick off the remaining salt residue and using his tongue to catch the rest that had fallen onto his lips. It wasn't the first time he'd made a motion like that in front of her, but he truly had no idea what the visual was currently doing to her body. It was torturous.

They made their way slowly out of the house and back down the hill, relieved to see that nearly all of the frozen water had melted away. Daryl was extremely careful to make sure that she didn't get hurt coming back down to the road, and even went so far as to pick her up and carry her across one section that looked a little slippery. She had told him multiple times that she was fine and could make it down but he insisted; her mind realizing that it had very little to do with her inability to walk and more to do with his attempt to be a gentleman so she allowed it. As they walked back towards the bike, finally spotting it on the horizon just where he'd left it, Carol couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at not wanting to go back. They'd had one nearly perfect night together and the chances of it happening anytime soon were slim. Yet, she knew she had been luckier than most in being able to have that time alone with him to work out their feelings. It probably never would've happened if they'd been holed up in the prison with people surrounding them on all sides. It was best to be appreciative of the things given to you and not dwell on the things you may not get.

"Ya still got that towel?" He asked as they finally made it back up to the motorcycle. "Gonna need to sit on it since the seat's wet."

She handed it to him, waiting on the side for him to get things back in position. He inspected the bike for a few minutes, finally throwing his leg over and pushing the kickstand back up. Carol crossed her fingers as he started the ignition switch and couldn't believe it when the bike immediately roared back to life underneath him. He glanced over at her with a look of shock.

"I don't get it! S'workin' just fine now!"

Carol only shrugged, knowing her voice probably wouldn't carry over the loud chug of the engine. For all she knew, the bike had been tired of their carrying on as much as she had and decided to help give them a nudge. Grasping his shoulders, she pulled her leg over the seat behind him, settling down and putting her hands firmly on his waist. He leaned back into her slightly, his head twisting around trying to make sure she was ready for the ride. She took the opportunity to lean forward and kiss him on the cheek as a way to say thank you for everything he'd done. He got the picture loud and clear.

They rode off together, Carol taking a moment to look back up the road in remembrance of the moment. It was one she wouldn't forget as long as she lived.

**A/N: Well there you have it folks! I hope you enjoyed the ride…literally lol. A huge thank you once again to Amy for your brilliant idea and all of your support in my story-telling. Also to El for her amazing artwork, and my buds Alli and Caz for letting me torture you slowly with my indecisiveness. Love all of you guys and I will be back eventually so keep a look out. Until then, live long and Caryl on!**


End file.
